Pull your fingers out, MP tells Shrewsbury A5 roadworks delay firm

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski said he would be seeking urgent summit talks with Lafarge Tarmac following news that work on Emstrey and Preston Boats islands would now not be finished until March.

The £8.4 million scheme, that was scheduled to finish in December, has been delayed due to safety issues, the Highways Agency said.

It is the second setback after highways officials pledged work would be finished in time for Christmas but later announced it would not be completed until January or February "at the very latest".

Initial problems had been caused by poor weather and technical issues with the commissioning of traffic signal control components

Today Mr Kawczynski said: "I am trying to meet the contractors on site. I have asked them and also invited Salop Leisure, the company which seems to have been most adversely affected by this continuing delay and disruption.

"Unless they pull their fingers out and finish this job, I will have to take whatever appropriate measures need to be taken.

"I will be notifying the Local Government Association and other councils of the problems we have had, and I have made that perfectly clear to them.

"They have just signed a £300 million deal down in Norfolk, and if we don't get this sorted out I will start to talk to them as well because it is clearly unacceptable.

"My constituents have been making it clear they are not prepared to continue putting up with this disruption up to the middle of March. It needs to be carried out and completed as soon as possible, ideally by the end of this month."

Alistair Harris, for the Highways Agency, said

the safety of drivers and road workers had to be the "utmost priority", adding: "Of course this is frustrating, as we had hoped to be finished by December."

The works started in June and has caused delays of up to 30 minutes for motorists.