Weather delays Wem water pipe repair work
Major work to upgrade water pipes in the county has been delayed because of the recent snow.
The B5065 Soulton Road, one of the main roads into Wem, has been blighted by roadworks since the end of January, while Severn Trent Water upgrades the pipes.
Company officials said the recent bad weather has meant they have not been able to complete the transfer of supplies onto the new pipe for properties between Churchill Drive and Church Lane before Easter.
They will return to the site after the Easter break and hope to finish in April.
The news comes as a further blow to residents and traders in Wem who have recently said they feel isolated, and criticised bad planning which has seen the town affected by a host of works.
Improvements have also been made to roads on New Street and Palms Hill since the beginning of this year.
Councillor John Murray, owner of the Wem Treacle Mine sweet shop in High Street, said: "It's not satisfactorily. Countries like France work 24/7 with lights and get the job done."
Sarah McArthur, Severn Trent spokeswoman, said: "Firstly, we'd like to thank residents for their patience and let them know we're making progress.
"We've now laid the new pipe from Cordwell Park to just past the entrance of the Wem Industrial Estate.
"We planned to transfer water supplies to the new pipe for the properties between Churchill Drive and Church Lane, however due to the snow we have been unable to complete this before Easter.
"To avoid disruption over the break, the traffic lights on Soulton Road were removed yesterday.
"Work materials will also be cleared over the weekend.
"We'll return to complete our work between Cordwell Park and the Wem Industrial Estate, in early April.
"We'll be making the final connections to the water main, with temporary lights in place from April 10 for two weeks.
"We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience this may be causing and thank residents for their ongoing patience."
