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'Nightmare' after broken sewer shuts village road

John Devine/BBC A white lorry on the road next to work equipment, including an orange digger and road diversion signsJohn Devine/BBC
The road in Farcet has remained shut since early December due to a burst water pipe and broken sewer

Residents have bemoaned the "ludicrous" traffic situation in their village due to the main road remaining shut because of a broken sewer.

Anglian Water engineers have been repairing the issue on Broadway in Farcet, on the outskirts of Peterborough, but the work was "more complex than expected", the company said.

The section between Farcet Cemetery and the junction of Haddon Way has been closed until further notice, with a lengthy diversion via London Road and Fletton Parkway put in place.

Zoe Ruddell, 46, who lives on Broadway, called it a "nightmare" and said all buses on the route had stopped, which was impacting elderly residents.

John Devine/BBC Zoe Ruddell looking straight into the camera while stood on the street. She has short dark hair and is wearing a black zipped jacket with a white T-shirt inside. There is a grey bag strap on her right shoulder. In the background is a cordoned off roadworks area and some cars parked on driveways.John Devine/BBC
Zoe Ruddell said the roadworks were affecting residents going to and from work

On 7 December, Anglian Water said a "complicated" burst water pipe issue could shut the busy road for weeks.

Alicja Wilczynska, 46, lives in Cardea but uses the route to get to work. She said it was "a real pain".

"Rather than a 10-minute trip to work it takes a good half-an-hour, and then in the evening it's completely gridlocked and takes about an hour," she said.

"So I walk now from Yaxley to Farcet, which is about two miles I think."

John Devine/BBC Mark Jackson looking into the camera on a driveway. He has short grey hair and stubble and is wearing a hi-vis jacket and black jumper.John Devine/BBC
Mark Jackson said the traffic between Yaxley and Farcet was "horrendous"

Mark Jackson, 68, said: "It is ludicrous. You can't help a sinkhole, but they could put some traffic system in place. It is hitting tradespeople. The diversion is costing us a fortune in diesel."

Anglian Water said: "A further sewer collapse has caused a lot of delays and has meant our repair work hasn't progressed as quickly as we'd have liked.

"To keep the sewer flowing, we're using pumps to move wastewater from the damaged part of the network into the pipes that are working as they should.

"We know our pumps can be noisy, and we're sorry for any disruption we cause while they're in use. They'll pump wastewater out of the network to protect your community and the environment until we've been able to repair the sewer pipe."

A reopening date has not been confirmed, but it is believed the road could be shut until at least January.

John Devine/BBC Work taking place on the site in Broadway. There are various fences positioned around a hole, with a lorry parked on site.John Devine/BBC
Anglian Water workers are on site repairing the sewer

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