WATER maintenance work is set to disrupt Malvern town centre traffic for more than a month.

Church Street will be closed in January whilst contractors Balfour Beatty carry out work on behalf of Severn Trent.

It will be closed from Tuesday, January 3, to Monday, February 6, from the junction with Tibberton Road to the junction with Avenue Road.

Worcestershire Highways Partnership maintenance manager Nils Wilkes said efforts were being taken to keep disruption to a minimum.

"It will have an effect on traffic in the town centre," he said. "But Avenue Road is a suitable diversion, so hopefully there won't be too many disruptions."

Severn Trent spokesman Jo Smith said they would be laying 250 metres of pipe in Church Street and the road had to be closed for safety reasons.

"We've already commenced a programme of water mains replacement in Malvern driven by the need to reduce leakage," she said.

"We don't close roads unless we have to and hopefully the short-term inconvenience will be outweighed by the long-term benefits to customers."

Residents have been informed of the closure and will have road access to their homes whenever possible during the repairs.