ORGANISERS of a dramatic live Easter performance have been left unhappy after being refused permission to shut a road to stop a crowd from spilling into the traffic.

Those behind the Passion Play, which will depict Jesus being crucified in Cathedral Square, say they wanted to shut College Street but have been told no.

Instead, performers will have to face away from the road, in a bid to filter watchers down the High Street.

But the row over whether to close the road has "worried the socks off" the chair of Passion Play after last year's performance attracted a staggering 1,500-strong crowd last year.

Chair James Hyslop described the new plan, with Worcester Cathedral as the backdrop, as "not ideal."
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Mr Hyslop said: "We asked if we could close the road off for two hours during the show and clean up afterwards, and there appears to be a reluctance.

"The issue was that the staging and set up meant the crowd was moving into the road, and we were worried about policing that.

"Our entire concern is keeping people safe, and it was really a headache to do.

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"Say out of the 1,500 people who turned up last year, and if just that one person speaks to about two people, then we could have thousands more turn up to watch, and that worried the socks off us."

A spokesperson from Worcestershire County Council said: “The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) for the Passion Play, comprising the county and city councils, Trading Standards and Emergency Services, discussed the possibility of a road closure for the event, but agreed that the staging for the play would be changed this year so that the audience in Cathedral Square will be facing the road, with any overflow using the High Street.

"This way, the event can take place safely with minimal impact on traffic in the city."

The council also added the organisers had technically not applied to have that section of road closed and said the layout of the set has no risk.

Around 60 actors and thousands of spectators are expected to swarm to the Good Friday (April 7) event in Cathedral Square.

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Mr Hyslop said the group does not want to change their allegiance to Worcester, but they have received requests from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire to perform there.

He added that the group believed they had contacted all the relevant people to try to organise the road closure and thanked the county council for its response which it said would help for future events. 

This year the Worcester Passion Play will start at 10.30am and there will be a giant LED screen.