Road closure causes headaches

A short closed section of road on a major route in to North Walsham is causing frustration in the town this week.

Norfolk County Council has shut the B1150 Norwich Road to traffic, between Nursery Drive and Millfield Road, while a sewage connection is carried out.

But North Walsham Garden Centre, on Nursery Drive, says the closure has put off customers and confused drivers.

Janice Laws, garden centre, spokesman, said blocked motorists arriving from the Norwich direction were turning in Nursery Drive and they had received calls from stumped customers trying to reach them from the North Walsham side of the closure.

'The official diversion takes people eight to 10 miles out of their way,' she said.

'This is half-term and we would normally expect to get a lot of grandparents bringing grandchildren but we have been much quieter than normal.'

Some loyal customers had parked on the North Walsham side and walked to the centre, she added.

John Starling was among drivers caught out by the closure en route from his home in Spixworth to visit a friend in North Walsham on Monday.

He followed other cars as they sought an alternative route along a single-carriageway road and over a railway line where they had to phone and ask permission to cross.

Mr Starling said he had looked in vain for the diversion route. County council spokesman John Birchall said the signs had been checked but it was

possible they had been knocked or blown over. Diversions had to be on the same, or better, standard of road. The work, due to be completed this week, had been planned to avoid disrupting school buses.

The official diversion route is via Buxton on the B1354, the A140 Aylsham bypass and the B1145 through Felmingham.