WORK to resurface part of High Street in Wellington town centre has to go ahead at the advertised times, Somerset County Council said this week.

The road will be completely closed for five hours on each of six nights between April 25 and May 2, excluding the weekend.

Town councillor John Thorne, who is also one of Wellington’s two county councillors, asked for the start time to be delayed until 7pm each evening to reduce the amount of traffic which would have to re-route through housing estates.

But county assistant area highway manager Dennis Quick said evening resurfacing-type work in towns such as Wellington traditionally started at 6.30pm to avoid affecting neighbouring properties and disturbing sleep late at night.

Mr Quick said a later start would either mean closing the road for more evenings or working later than the planned 11.30pm each night.

He said: “Residents living nearby want the work done as efficiently as possible and over the fewest number of evenings.”

The work will reinstate the road surface after it was dug up by Wales and West Utilities to lay a new gas mains pipe between January and March.

The closure will affect the stretch between the junctions with Longforth Road and Buckwell.