WESSEX Water has responded to concerns of puzzled residents who claim ‘no work’ was carried out in North Street over the weekend - despite a road closure remaining in place.

The closure was put in place so the water board could carry out what they described as essential sewage repairs, but some residents questioned why the road needed to be closed ‘for no reason.’

A spokesperson for Wessex Water has responded to concerns and has said workers may have been waiting for materials to be delivered during the downtime.

The spokesperson said: “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 this has caused.”

Responding to the explanation on Facebook, one Wellington resident commented: “In other words Wessex Water don’t really know why the road remained closed, nor do they care.”

It comes after drivers faced a shock disruption to their routes last month, after North Street was closed without warning over the weekend of March 23.

Residents awoke on Saturday (April 6) morning to find the route closed to traffic as Wessex Water carried out unannounced emergency works following a water supply leak.

Some Wellington residents took to social media at the weekend to post images which appeared to show water spilling out of some of the road’s drains.

Posting to a Facebook group for local residents, one member joked: “New water feature in North Street” after posting what looked like a small fountain springing from the road. 

A spokesman for Wessex Water said ahead of the work: “We have had to issue an emergency closure of a small section of North Street, between Lodge Close and the junction of Courtland Road and Victoria Street, to repair a leak on our water main.”

Repairs were completed ahead of schedule on Tuesday (April 9) and the road fully reopened.