Drainage repairs get under way on the High Street

Anyone who has picked their way around the puddle the size of a small car outside the bakery after a heavy downpour will not be surprised to learn that the High Street's drainage has finally been booked in for a proper repair. Work begins on Monday and is expected to last around three weeks, covering the stretch between the war memorial and the junction with Mill Lane.

The programme involves replacing a collapsed section of surface-water pipework beneath the carriageway, along with clearing and relining several gullies that have struggled for years to cope with run-off from the hill. Once the pipework is renewed and the kerb lines are reinstated, water should clear far more quickly and the worst of the pooling should become a thing of the past.

The work is being carried out by the highways contractor on behalf of the county council. Residents living within the affected stretch have already received a letter through the door with the finer details, and notices have gone up on the parish noticeboard and at the village hall.

How traffic will be managed

Rather than closing the road, which would have pushed a great deal of traffic down the narrow lanes around the church, the contractor will operate temporary two-way traffic lights. The lights will be manned during the busiest parts of the day so that they can be adjusted by hand when queues begin to build.

Working hours are deliberately limited to 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays. That means the morning school run, the commuter dash to the station and the evening rush should be largely unaffected. No work is planned at weekends, so the Saturday market will go ahead as normal and the churchyard path will remain open throughout.

Even so, drivers should allow a little extra time. At peak periods within the working window — particularly just after the school pick-up begins and again around lunchtime — expect to wait between five and ten minutes at the lights. If you can travel before half past nine or after half past three, you will almost certainly sail straight through.

What it means for bus passengers

Bus operators serving the village are advising passengers to check timetables before travelling. Services may be held briefly at the lights, and journeys through the village could take five to eight minutes longer than usual during the working window.

• Allow extra time if you are catching a connection at the town centre or the rail station, and consider taking the bus an hour earlier than you normally would.
• The High Street stop near the post box may be temporarily relocated a short distance along the road. Check the notice at the stop itself before you settle in to wait.
• If you use the village hall stop instead, note that the footpath alongside it is unaffected and remains the easiest option for anyone with a buggy or a walking frame.
• School bus services are expected to run to their normal times, as they fall outside the working hours.

Parking, deliveries and access to shops

The High Street's shops, café and surgery will all remain open for business throughout. Access on foot will be maintained at all times, with a clearly signed walkway past the works, and the contractor has been asked to keep the walkway swept and free of spoil.

Some parking will be affected. Three bays outside the surgery, plus the loading bay near the newsagent, will be suspended for the duration so that the excavation can be fenced safely. To help, the parish council has agreed that the village hall car park can be used free of charge for the first two hours, and the long-stay car park behind the recreation ground is unaffected.

• Deliveries: traders expecting large deliveries should ask drivers to approach from the Mill Lane end where possible, as the eastern approach will be tighter.
• Blue badge holders: the two bays beside the surgery will remain available for as long as the excavation allows, though they may shift by a few metres as the work progresses.
• Waste collections: bins should be put out as usual. Crews have been briefed and will collect from the nearest accessible point if the lorry cannot reach a property.

Practical advice for the next three weeks

A little forward planning will make the whole thing far less tiresome. If your journey can be shifted by half an hour either side of the working window, do it — you will barely notice the works at all.

• Leave five minutes earlier than usual if you are heading out between 9.30am and 3.30pm.
• Consider walking or cycling for shorter trips into the village; the pavements are unaffected and the walkway past the works is step-free.
• Give yourself a bit more room when passing the works, particularly if you are on a bike or riding a horse.
• Keep an eye out for the temporary signs, which will be updated as the excavation moves along the street.

Where to check before you set off

Updates will be posted on the parish noticeboard outside the village hall, in the weekly email bulletin from the parish clerk and on the board at the library. The clerk has also asked that anyone who spots a problem — a light stuck on red, a walkway blocked or a spillage on the road — ring the number printed on the site notice rather than posting about it online, so that it can be dealt with the same day.

Three weeks of cones and contraflows is nobody's idea of fun, but this is genuinely necessary work, and it is far better done now than in the middle of a January storm. Once the pipework is in and the gullies are flowing again, the High Street should be a drier, safer and altogether more pleasant place to walk, shop and park. Do pass the word to neighbours who might not have seen the notices — particularly anyone who relies on the bus.