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Long delays as major Chard roadworks begin

BBC Roadworks and temporary traffic lights in front of a zebra crossing. There's a house in the background with road work barriers and cones in the foreground.BBC
Two utility companies are working on service improvements in Chard

Nine months of roadworks in a Somerset town by two utility companies is causing major disruption for road users.

Furnham Road, the main road into Chard, has two sets of works with drivers complaining about "long delays".

Wales & West Utilities is continuing a £415k upgrade of the gas pipes and Wessex Water is also working on £1.3m of improvements to the local sewage network in a bid to reduce the flood risk to nearby properties and businesses.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said "We would urge drivers to respect the diversion, traffic management and any signage in the immediate area."

Man stood in car garage. He's wearing a black coat stood by the window. There's an MOT sign and old cabinets full of MOT folders in the background
Liam Pugh runs a car garage in Chard and said the roadworks are causing delays

Liam Pugh, from AB Autos in Chard, said: "There's just more and more roadworks as you drive up the main road.

"I drive in from Ilminster and there's long delays every day.

"Last week it was 40 minutes to drive just a few miles stretch and there's a high possibility it will start affecting business."

Chard Town Council said it has been working closely with businesses and the utility companies to ensure the work gets done as quick as possible.

David Bell, chief executive and Town Clerk of Chard Town Council, said: "The investment is significant. Chard cannot expect third best.

"We got used to wading through sewage because the system was overflowing, and, to be quite honest, if you're living in a house with some small children, the last thing you want is actually to have sewage actually in their garden.

"This should go a long way to actually helping that situation."

Man in high-vis jacket with glasses on. He's stood in front of construction work with an orange digger on the right hand side.
David Bell from Chard Town Council said the work showed a "significant investment" into the town

The BBC contacted both Wessex Water and Wales and West Utilities about the long delays for drivers in the area.

Wessex Water said: "Affected customers will be liaised with directly if there are occasions where work is taking place directly outside their properties.

"All parties have worked with local businesses to ensure their day-to-day operations can continue."

Wales and West Utilities said: "We appreciate that while we work hard to keep disruption to a minimum, our work can impact on local businesses.

"We know working on roads like these is not ideal and we're sorry for the disruption that it has caused, but this work really is essential to keep the gas flowing and to make it's fit for the future."

Roadworks and temporary traffic lights in front of a zebra crossing. There's a house in the background with road work barriers and cones in the foreground. There's a B&Q shop and queues of cars.
The utility companies are happy be be contacted by residents with any issues

Somerset Council said these roadworks were "vital" for improvements to Chard.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, lead member for transport and waste, said: "We are working collaboratively to ensure all this work gets done at the same time to avoid further disruption in the future.

"We are aware there have been some teething problems, action has been taken to address these."

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