Leighton Buzzard residents claim signage 'inadequate' for Heath Road repairs meanwhile work on Greenhill sewer postponed

Anglian Water has announced that repairs to a damaged sewer on Leighton Buzzard's Greenhill have been postponed, while residents claim that the signs for the current repairs on Heath Road are inadequate.

The water company told the LBO that repairs to a second damaged sewer on Greenhill have been pushed back until the beginning of September in order to "minimise disruption".

Meanwhile, it says that repairs to the collapsed sewer on Heath Road are "on track" to be completed in the next three weeks.

However, there are concerns about how well the road closure has been signposted.

One resident claimed: "This morning (July 23) at around 7.30am, I was walking my dog along Heath Road and an emergency ambulance, with blues and twos going, proceeded at speed along Heath Road, in the direction of Heath and Reach.

"It stopped at the closed road and turned around, heading back in the direction of town, still at speed and with lights and sirens blazing. It is not clear to me if the crew had forgotten that the road was closed or nobody had bothered to advise the emergency services that it was closed, but I fear that the five or ten minute delay in the arrival of the emergency ambulance may have prejudiced the outcome for the individuals concerned. I sincerely hope that this in not the case but it needs investigating."

To read more about the residents' experience, including concerns about HGVs using the road, please see the letters section of Tuesday's LBO.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our teams are working to repair a collapsed sewer on Health Road in Leighton Buzzard and are on track to complete the work in the next three weeks.

“In order to minimise disruption to the local community, repairs to a second damaged sewer on Greenhill have been postponed until the beginning of September. There is no impact to facilities and customers can continue to flush their toilets and use their washing machines as normal while this work is completed.

“The repairs are complicated due to the depth of the sewer pipes, which is why full road closures are necessary. We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but would ask that road users adhere to the diversions in place to allow our teams to work safely.”

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokeswoman, said: "The signage for this road closure is the responsibility of Anglian Water.

"As per all full road closures we circulated a notice to all of the emergency services to share with their teams.

"The Greenhill closure has been deferred until after the Heath Road has been completed."

Read the LBO's previous story about Heath Road here: https://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/news/politics/leighton-buzzard-residents-demand-answers-from-anglian-water-over-ongoing-roadworks-chaos-on-heath-road-3320311