A WATER company plans to replace a troublesome pipe after numerous leaks led to road closures which local traders say have damaged their businesses.

Severn Trent Water (STW) will begin work to replace the pipe on Station Road, Bransford, next year after it has needed repairing at least three times since January.

Gary Whitby, owner of the Bear and Ragged Staff pub, said there was “no logical reason” for Severn Trent to close all of the road for several days last month while engineers repaired the burst pipe.

He said it was the third time he can remember this year that the road has had to be closed off due to the malfunctioning pipe.

When speaking to the Worcester News at the time, he criticised the water company for opting to close both lanes of the road each time, driving away trade for himself and other businesses.

“During the multitude of leakages along this road in the past, one-way traffic has always been maintained, reflecting the sheer indifference shown by Severn Trent to other business interests in the district,” he added.

A Severn Trent spokeswoman said work to replace the pipe in 2019 is part of a bigger project in Worcester, where £1.6m is due to be spent to replace a total of 6.2km of pipes in the area.

This year, Severn Trent also started work on The Shambles to replace ageing pipes with new ones – with the final touches to be added in January after the busy festive period.

“We’ll then be doing some work across Worcestershire, and this includes the work in Bransford which will help provide the area with a reliable water supply for years to come,” the spokeswoman continued.

She added that more information on these smaller projects would be available in the near future.

Traders on The Shambles were starting to get frustrated during phase one of the work last month, which they said was causing a drop in footfall – but Severn Trent's Gareth Mead thanked them for their patience.

“The project is progressing well and we want to thank retailers on both The Shambles and Church Street for their understanding and patience as we’ve carried out work over the past three months,” he said.

He added that temporary tarmac laid would be removed next year once the city council carries out its regeneration work.