‘Chaos’ due to ‘errors’ in the works on two roads

On Tuesday (2 July) the B4424 between Rhydd and Old Hills was closed and temporary traffic lights were installed on the A449 at Bastonford later that day.

The A449 road near Halfway House in Bastonford is used by people travelling between Malvern and Worcester.

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman apologised for the inconvenience and said an error had occurred which led to the disruption.


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Malvern Hills councillor Tom Wells said Ringway, the contractor used by Worcestershire County Council to carry out the repairs, began work on the B4424 without the necessary permission or licence.

He added that he had intervened to sort out the “chaos” on the roads and saw work stopped on the B4424 and fully reopened on Tuesday afternoon.

Frustrated travelers took to social media to express their displeasure.

Councillor Tom Wells said he was “fed up” with the traffic.

One person said the constant road closures were “unnecessary and infuriating”, while another said they were having a “nightmare” getting to and from work.

Another said he was stunned to see work being carried out on the same day.

Councillor Wells also claimed that no work was carried out on the A449 on Tuesday and said the temporary traffic lights should not have been in place if work was not going to be carried out.

Councillor Wells told the Gazette: “I have been trying very hard to get to the bottom of this mess and I find it unacceptable that we are having to deal with so many road closures and diversions.

“There are more than 22,000 vehicles using the A449 every day, I don’t know why the works couldn’t be carried out overnight.

“I have run out of patience with the highway department for this catalogue of errors and wasted time.

“This has been a huge inconvenience for people who have been late for work, school and appointments; it is completely unacceptable.”

The county council spokesman added that residents had been notified in advance of the temporary road closure at Callow End and warning signs were in place, but a mistake had occurred.

Roadworks on the A449 continued on Wednesday and traffic regulation was temporarily lifted in the afternoon.

Work has been suspended to ensure access to voting centers and updates on the completion of this work on Friday will be available on the council’s Our Travel X/Twitter account.

Ringway was contacted but was unable to comment before publication.