MOTORISTS will be told to take a 40 minute diversion route from the beginning of February as roadworks threaten to close Durleigh Road for more than a month.

Wessex Water says it needs to close the main road to connect more than one hundred new homes to the sewer network that lies beneath the carriageway, but Sedgemoor District Councillor Gill Slocombe has stepped in, arguing that is essential that the road remains open.

The water company says it needs to close the road between February 2 and March 13 to install 15 metres of sewer, connecting 120 proposed new houses on the Summerfields developer site behind St Matthew’s Field to the public sewer network.

Cllr Slocombe says she has been speaking with Tom King, the project’s lead design engineer, to try and find a way of not closing the road completely at the junction with Northfields.

She told the Mercury: “I had a phone call from Tom King and we discussed all the issues surrounding this proposed road closure.

“I have asked him to go back to his road engineers and discuss further the idea of having a single way traffic model as this road is very heavily used and it is imperative that it stays open.

“I have ensured that there will be adequate pedestrian walkways at all times but I am sincerely hoping that sense will prevail and my suggestion of having a single carriageway through this area as the road is wide enough will be agreed.

“The district councillors, parish or town council were not informed of this proposal which will be for four weeks.”

Drivers hoping to enter Bridgwater using Durleigh Road will be told to use a 16 mile diversion route that takes them through Spaxton and towards Nether Stowey before joining the A39 and heading back towards town through Cannington and Wembdon.

A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “The essential work that we are obliged to do involves connecting more than a hundred new properties to the sewerage network.

“Unfortunately, due to two gas mains having to be diverted, it is impossible to carry out our work without closing Durleigh Road.

“However, we have carefully designed the route of the sewer to avoid the highway where we can, which means the road will be closed for no more than four weeks.

“We posted around 1,400 letters to local residents to make them aware of the work and apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused.

“We will complete the work as quickly as possible.”

Bridgwater’s MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said he was “furious” about the planned road closure.

Speaking to the Mercury yesterday, he said: “I think it is absolute madness, how dare they do Durleigh Road when we are already doing Taunton Road.

“Yes, it’s got to be done, but do it when we aren’t doing other major roads in the town.

“It is not thought through at all – it’s just crackers.

“This smacks of either arrogance or incompetence and they have let Bridgwater down.”