U-turn after road plan sparks anger

Motorists were handed a last-minute reprieve today after councillors vowed to rethink the crippling closure of a key Shropshire road day and night for four weeks.

Road users in north and east Shropshire had been facing a stark choice between crowding on to minor roads or taking a 30-mile diversion to bypass the planned closure on the A41 north of Newport.

But senior Telford & Wrekin Council members promised to review the timetable for the essential resurfacing work during a heated public meeting attended by more than 40 people in Sambrook last night.

Applause greeted the sensational U-turn, which came in response to a storm of public opposition to plans by the council to shut the road.

It means the round-the-clock closure, due to start on Monday, could now be suspended or carried out at night instead.

A 30-mile northbound diversion was planned via Eccleshall and Blackbrook, while the southbound diversion via the A442 was 22 miles.

Angry residents living along the A41 criticised the council for giving too little notice and failing to consult on the closure.

One Sambrook villager was furious when road bosses conceded she would become a prisoner in her own home at times while contractors worked on the road outside her driveway.

Roger Davies, from the council highways team, said: "The funding from the Department for Transport must be used by April and the work is easier before the winter weather sets in. With traffic lights it would have been closed for up to nine weeks."

He said the council had planned the work for six months. Alternatives to a 24-hour closure were not considered because they posed "a problem with health and safety" for the workforce, he added.

Councillors promised action when an impromptu show of hands confirmed unanimous opposition to the scheme.

Councillor Stephen Bentley said: "I'm not impressed with what I'm hearing here. The work will not start on Monday and we will get this sorted as quickly as possible."

Council leader Andrew Eade said: "I can only apologise for the lack of consultation."