Church Street in Dunster is closed as roadworks continue

Phase one of the water works, which involved replacing the mains running between Park Street and Mill Lane, was completed on the weekend.

Phase two began on Monday when Wessex Water started replacing the mains between Mill Lane and Castle Hill. The road closure in West Street has been extended to include Church Street.

During this time, Somerset County Council will start work to improve the traffic signals on Church Street, which have not been updated since the 1970s and are often faulty.

Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout.

The work in Dunster was planned jointly by Wessex Water and Somerset County Council to minimise overall disruption as much as possible.

Wessex Water design engineer Paul Hobbs said: “Work is developing well and we would like to thank everyone for their patience and co-operation during our essential work to improve the reliability of water supply in Dunster.

“We realise that due to the nature of the work there will be some inconvenience caused but we continue to do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum.

“We are using ‘no-dig’ techniques where possible to reduce the number of excavations required and allow us to complete the work as quickly as possible.

“We would also like to remind everyone that local businesses remain open as usual.”

Cllr Harvey Siggs, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “The work so far has all been completed on schedule despite some typically challenging winter weather.

“Due to the cold, we’ve also had to make special arrangements to allow the gritters through on several occasions so they can carry out their vital work treating our main roads.

“We now move into phase two, and I know all the teams will be working hard to have the road reopened by Easter. My thanks again to everyone for their patience.”

Further information about the scheme, including a questions and answers section, can be found online at www.somerset.gov.uk/dunsterworks