Ross-on-Wye street still closed thanks to flood water

The town's councillor says "short of a miracle", Broad Street will remain closed

Author: Gavin McEwan (Local Democracy Reporter)Published 14th May 2024

A Herefordshire street badly damaged by stormwater at the weekend is unlikely to reopen even today (Tuesday May 14), a local councillor has said.

“Short of a miracle I can’t see Broad Street reopening today,” Ross-on-Wye councillor Ed O’Driscoll posted on Facebook this morning.

He said Welsh Water workers were back on-site at the normally busy street, which has been closed since Sunday.

“Apparently Welsh Water managed to damage a supply pipe in the night and ended up fixing that,” he posted earlier.

“The broken sewer is now exposed but I’m told it’s also damaged further up Broad Street and an additional area will need to be excavated later today.”

Specialist drainage firm Metro Rod “will be surveying the length of the sewer pipe from the top of Broad Street to Five Ways”, Coun O’Driscoll has now said.

Meanwhile the county council’s public realm contractor Balfour Beatty “will be continuing the clear up of the block paving and… drilling into the road at intervals to check for any underground damage”, he added.

Access has meanwhile been set up to businesses on Broad Street rendered inaccessible by the weekend damage to pavements, including Peacock’s clothes shop and Cheeky Tito’s takeaway, enabling them to reopen.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said the closures had affected “approximately 15 premises”.

“We are aware that a number of businesses have experienced internal flooding, and we will be offering support to those affected,” they added.

Welsh Water has been approached for comment.

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