A former councillor has voiced his frustration over the ongoing closure of Church Street in Calne, alleging a lack of activity despite the significant inconvenience caused to residents and businesses.
The road has been closed since 14th April and is scheduled to remain so until 2nd May, 2025, for sewer repair works being undertaken by Wessex Water.
In a formal complaint to Wessex Water, Michael Hudston highlighted the detrimental impact of the closure. "As residents, we are being significantly impacted by this work, so we expect the work to be carried out as quickly as possible without any delays," he stated.
He further emphasised the increased traffic congestion on Brewers Lane, a narrow, single-lane road, which is now forced to accommodate traffic destined for Church Street, Mill Street, Anchor Road, and surrounding areas.
The lane, already heavily used by school children and construction vehicles, lacks adequate passing places and a footpath, raising safety concerns. "I do not find it acceptable that roads remain closed without any work being carried out," he declared.
In response to the complaint, a spokesperson for Wessex Water issued a statement to Calne News, explaining the nature of the repairs and the reason for the intermittent activity.
"The nature of underground sewer repairs means work is often carried out in stages to maintain the structural integrity of the road. The repair team may also be awaiting delivery of materials such as pipe re-lining, so work will not be happening 24/7.
“Clearly, re-opening the road would not be safe even if the workforce aren’t physically on site. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this emergency work.”
While Wessex Water acknowledges the inconvenience, the extended closure continues to be a point of contention for residents and businesses in the area.
Meanwhile Cllr Robert MacNaughton contacted Wiltshire Council and received the following update from Ashley Heathcote, Highway Permit Officer (North) for Wiltshire Council:
'These are sewer lining works, including the installation of a new chamber to improve access. The excavation for this phase has been completed. This week was scheduled for Wessex Water's R&M team to install the new chamber. However, prior to the recent bank holiday, unregistered utility apparatus was discovered within the excavation area, preventing the planned chamber installation.
Unfortunately, this critical information regarding the obstruction was circulated late within Wessex Water and did not reach the relevant sewer lining teams in time for them to adjust their schedule and resources for this week. The lining team only became aware of this scheduling conflict on Tuesday.
Consequently, we now have a significant excavation site with no immediate plans for further work until the week commencing April 28th, due to the lack of resourcing.'
Wessex Water have now provided this additional information.
- Church Street, Calne is closed to enable us to undertake a repair to the public sewer at this location
- We had planned to install a new Manhole at this location, which could be used to facilitate lining the defected section of sewer.
- Unfortunately, on excavating, we have found several other services which, due to their location, prevent us from being able to install the manhole. As a result, we have to keep the excavation open so we can get access onto the sewer and line from the open excavation.
- The liner is being manufactured bespoke, especially for this repair, and so this means we are unable to shift the repair date forward.
Wiltshire Water are now due to commence the lining repairs from Monday 28th April and will be arranging letters to update residents shortly.
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