by Rebecca Hannant
A road closure caused by a burst water main has led to significant disruption to residents and businesses in Withernsea during the past week.
On Sunday, September 1, a pipe burst in Queen Street just south of the Tesco roundabout. A heavy lorry is thought to have broken the surface of the road into several pieces and its weight caused the fracture to the pipe.
Yorkshire Water and its contracted teams attended the scene but initially struggled to locate all the necessary valves to turn the water fully off. Properties had low water pressure, if any water at all, and Withernsea Town Council provided sandbags where water was seeping in.
A full road closure was in force while the work was being carried out, blocking vehicle access from Hollym and Patrington and meaning motorists had to travel to and from Withernsea via Hull Road or North Road, finding alternative routes through Winestead, Halsham or further afield.
Some people raised concerns about the amount of traffic being diverted through Halsham and Chantry Lane near Rimswell, as the roads are unlit and are not wide enough in parts for two-way traffic.
The disruption has also affected children at Withernsea Primary School and Withernsea High School who have been forced to take longer alternative routes each morning.
A Withernsea High School statement said: “All buses are currently being diverted via the B1362 (Hull Road). Affected school services will follow the same diversion. This will impact the 311 (Welwick/Easington/Holmpton) and the 312 (Patrington/Hollym) routes.
“Morning pick-ups will remain as scheduled. However, due to the diversion, buses will arrive at school later than usual. Please be assured that students will not receive late marks for this.
“Afternoon services will leave school at 3.20pm but will take longer to reach drop-off points due to the diversion.”
Liz Downing, owner of The Card Shop in central Queen Street, said: “I have spoken to a few of the other businesses around me and they are all saying how quiet it is.
“I opened on Tuesday, but it was very quiet. I got half of my normal Tuesday taking, which I suspected may be the case. At the moment Queen Street is very quiet for footfall and traffic going through.
“I understand that for people who live in the village on the other side of the roadblock, it is actually nearer and easier for them to drive to Hedon, Bilton, Preston, Mount Pleasant, etc and get what they need rather than going round via the diversion into Withernsea.
“I drove that road this morning to get to the shop and driving is not easy as the road is very narrow in places, with no passing places, and then when you have a bus or delivery vehicle heading towards you, to be honest it is a bit nerve-wracking.”
A Withernsea Town Council spokeswoman said: “While we appreciate this causes an inconvenience to many, the road closure was essential for works to take place.
“Two excavations were made to the road which were partially infilled on Tuesday once it was established the repair had been effective. Resurfacing is expected to commence to enable the road to be reopened hopefully by Friday, September 6.
“Witnesses confirmed that the workers trying to resolve the situation were subject to much unnecessary verbal abuse and several drivers still drove through or parked within the road closure area. Such behaviour may delay the commencement of the resurfacing work as works will not commence while unauthorised parking is taking place within a road closure zone.
“Withernsea Town Council would like to thank Yorkshire Water and their contractors for their prompt action. These sorts of events are unexpected and unfortunately do cause a disturbance to our everyday lives and routines.
“However, everything that could be done to mitigate the problems and inconvenience was done, though we acknowledge there were issues with confusing road signage out of town which was beyond our control.”
A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: “On the morning of September 1, a main burst on Queen Street resulting in loss of water supply for several properties in the area.
“Our team mobilised quickly, began work to restore supplies, and were able to do so within the day. Customers on our priority services register received bottled water while supply was unavailable.
“The road which has been closed because of the burst is currently being reinstated. Work is expected to complete on Friday evening, and the road will reopen.
“We’d like to thank road users, residents and businesses in the area for their patience throughout and apologise for the inconvenience.”
