Drivers warned of more misery

Drivers were today facing even more motoring misery with the news roadworks which are causing chaos between Wolverhampton and Stourbridge will be moving to Wombourne.

The village is already choked with drivers trying to avoid the A449 at Himley as Severn Trent replaces mains pipes.

And the water giant has announced that Staffordshire County Council will be closing roads in Wombourne at the end of the month to complete £2 million sewer works.

Frustrated rush-hour motorists spent more than an hour, bumper to bumper, amid chaos around the A449 Wolverhampton to Kidderminster road yesterday.

Drivers trying to avoid the congestion at Himley congested roads in Wombourne, Trysull, Swindon and Gornal.

Those who ventured on to the A449 complained that the temporary traffic lights were letting just a handful of vehicles through at a time. Buses were around 50 minutes late, school coaches were delayed and taxi drivers said they lost business as a result.

Smallbrook Lane in Wombourne will be closed from January 28 to February 8 between its junctions with Gilbert Lane and School Road. And Battlefield Hill will close on February 11 until February 22 between Battlefield Lane and Stourbridge Road.

Wombourne councillor Mary Bond today called on Severn Trent to make sure the proposed Wombourne road closures do not make the current problems worse. The A449 works are scheduled for three weeks.

Councillor Bond said: "This could well aggravate the situation at Himley. I tried to get to Himley yesterday and the traffic was horrendous. I had to double back and head towards Sedgley."

She added that many drivers had taken detours through Wombourne but would not be able to once the next round of work starts.

Bosses at Severn Trent have apologised for the delays.

They blamed them on temporary lights being out of sequence. Drivers using the stretch last night and this morning reported that they had been adjusted, although they were still adding between ten and 20 minutes to their journeys.

Severn Trent Spokeswoman Sophie Jordan said: "On-site works will start at the end of this month and a number of roads will be affected between Wombourne and Sedgley."