East Street closure fears (From Chard & Ilminster News)

East Street closure fears

8:40am Wednesday 13th February 2008 in Chard By Joanna Glover

FEARS for road safety in Chard have been voiced with the imminent four-week closure of East Street in the town for essential maintenance.

The busy road will be closed from next Monday, February 18, while Wessex Water replaces a sewer to help alleviate flood problems.

Traffic travelling into town on the A30 will be diverted through Victoria Avenue and along Furnham Road.

But motorists coming through Chard heading out of town towards Crewkerne will face a lengthy official diversion through Tatworth and South Chard coming out at Crewkerne Road - around a ten-mile diversion.

Residents in Victoria Avenue are worried the extra traffic will put more strain on the road, which already has high volumes of through traffic and parked cars.

But a spokesman from Somerset County Council said: "Victoria Avenue is quite a wide road with two way traffic anyway.

"The highways department does not anticipate too much more traffic than is already passing through there.

"We are also trying to divert any through traffic away by diverting them through Perry Street.

"Emergency Services have been alerted to the closure so will be aware of the restrictions."

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