EMERGENCY sewer pipe repairs which have been causing gridlock on Wellington town centre roads will take another week to complete.

The work, which has seen North Street closed to traffic, started on Wednesday, January 21, with Wessex Water initially saying it would be finished by Friday, January 30, if not sooner.

But on Thursday (January 29) the company said it was now expected to last until Friday, February 6.

The problem began when a sewer collapsed and flooded the cellar of a nearby family house.

A spokesperson for Wessex Water, said: “The location of this pipe means this is a complex repair which has involved a dig of more than 2.5 metres depth, often carried out by hand due to the presence of other utilities nearby.

“Our teams are working extended hours and at the weekend to ensure the road can be reopened as quickly as possible and fix the damaged sewer.

“Once the initial work has been carried out, we’ll be able to reinstate and reopen the road by the end of next week, with the remainder of the repair taking place within the footpath, which will remain closed to help that work progress.

“We apologise again for any inconvenience caused by this emergency work and have worked closely with Somerset Council to ensure road users are aware of this closure and that heavy goods vehicles are using the appropriate diversions to avoid the area.’’

A diversion is currently in place via Longforth Road and Victoria Street.

A HGV/large vehicle diversion follows a more suitable route via Milverton, Norton Fitzwarren, and the A38 Wellington Road back to Wellington.

North Street is on a bus route, so it has affected public transport in the area.