PINVIN parish councillors are preparing their village for a "traffic onslaught" with the opening of the Wyre Piddle bypass this Friday.

They believe school children will be just one group put at risk by both the bypass and the re-routing of the A44 through their village.

Pinvin parish councillor Bob Mustard believes the scheme will see a 30 per cent increase in traffic.

"Residents of Terrace Road already suffer badly with heavy traffic just feet from their front doors," said Coun Mustard.

"Children walking to Pershore High School already have to run the gauntlet of traffic across the railway bridge.

"What will this be like after the new road designation has taken place?"

Coun Mustard believes upgrading and turning the former A4538 through Pinvin into the A44 main trunk road from Evesham to Worcester will see heavy goods vehicles allowed into the village.

He believes the decision not to complete the western link section of the Wyre Piddle bypass will also force further traffic into the community.

"We're pleased for our neighbours from Wyre Piddle that they have their bypass but it has only served to move the problem from their village to ours."

"In effect the bypass was only half finished because, if the western link had been completed, traffic coming from Pershore would have gone over the railway bridge and away from Pinvin.

"Instead it is coming straight into the village."

Work on the £5.6m bypass first began in February this year after 30 years of tireless campaigning by villagers in Upper Moore and Wyre Piddle.

The extra £1.5m link road development, which has not been pursued, would have joined the bypass to the existing roundabout at the Keytec 7 industrial estate.

A decision on whether Wyre Piddle should be closed to through traffic in the future is to go to a public enquiry.

County Councillor Bob Bullock and local bypass campaigner Eileen Attwood are due to officially open the bypass on Friday at 10.30am.