MORE than 400 metres of gas pipes will be relayed during work in Shepton Mallet town centre - with drivers warned to expect delays as traffic lights will be in place to manage traffic.

Wales & West Utilities is set to start work to upgrade the pipes, starting on Monday, January 7, being completed by the end of March.

The firm says the work will be carried out in two phases in order to keep workers and the public safe, with traffic management required for both parts.

Phase One, which starts during the week of the January 7, involves working along Great Ostry from the junction with High Street to outside 8 Great Ostry.

A road closure will be in place for approximately four weeks while the works take place and a diversion route will be clearly signposted. Temporary traffic lights will be in place to allow two-way access onto High Street.

Phase Two will start the week commencing February 4.

A full road closure will be in place at the junction of The Batch, Rectory Road and Waterloo Road, with a diversion route clearly signposted. Barring any unforeseen engineering difficulties, this phase will take five weeks to complete.

In conjunction with these road closures, work will also be carried out along the pedestrianised zone of Town Street. This work will take place between January 7 and March 29.

Wales & West Utilities operations controller for the area, Barry Sale, is managing the work.

“We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it really is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area, and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future," he said.

"We’ll have a team of gas engineers on site throughout the project to make sure our work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible while keeping disruption to a minimum.

“We’re very aware of the effect that our work can have on communities and commuters and we’ll work as safely and as quickly as possible to ensure the scheme is completed in a timely fashion while causing the least inconvenience.”