Traffic delays warning over Stafford sewer repairs

Essential repair work has started in the Greyfriars area. Two sections of the A34 will be reduced from four lanes to two, from the Falklands memorial roundabout to the access road for Madford Retail Park.

Councillors and businesses are concerned about the effects it will have on trade. Councillor Barry Stamp, who is also chief officer at the Back2Bikes charity on Greyfriars Business Park, said it was a "necessary evil" and he believed there would be a major impact.

"I am concerned with how the roadworks will affect trade and how local businesses will cope," he said. "There is going to be considerable delays along the whole road. We just hope it gets completed quickly and people realise that we are all still open and support us."

Councillor Bill Simpson said: "It is going to cause quite a lot of disruption to the traffic flow into the centre.

"But it has got to be done. I knew about it a few weeks ago, and although there will be problems with trade, this does need to be done."

Helen Fee, Service manager for Severn Trent, said a collapsed pipe had caused flooding in the sewer. She said: "Since we have been aware of the issue, we have worked to clear up and minimise any impact on our customers.

"To allow us to move plans forward quickly, we recently met with other parties – including the Highways Authority and our contractors Enterprise – to discuss how we can minimise disruption while we work.

"For safety reasons, we've also consulted with National Grid because there are gas mains in the area. Businesses on the road will be open as usual."

For further details call Enterprise on 0800 022 4338 or Severn Trent Water on 0800 783 4444.