Severn Trent pledge over Oswestry traffic diversion

Severn Trent has pledged to try to find another diversion for cars after a quiet residential street in Oswestry became choked after the nearby main road was closed to traffic.

Motorists are being officially diverted from Welsh Walls - closed while Severn Trent is laying new water pipes - along Park Avenue.

But residents say the diversion caused chaos as extra traffic has been unable to cope with the parking on both sides of the street.

Residents say wing mirrors have been scratched and pulled off by vehicles trying to negotiate the diversion while motorists trying to use the road say the journey of a few hundred yards has taken up to 10 minutes.

Today Severn Trent said it would try to find an alternative diversion while Welsh Walls remained closed.

Rachel Blackman from the firm the main road was due to be closed for up to 10 days.

She said: "Following the problems we are now having talks with the local authority to see if we can find an alternative."

Resident Amber Downes welcomed news that the powers that be were looking at the problem.

"It took me 40 minutes to get to work the first morning," she said.

A £3 million scheme to replace Oswestry's ageing water mains began at the turn of the year and is due to be completed by June.