THIS was the scene today as motorists heeded warnings in the Worcester News and avoided travelling through the city centre as major road works began. This morning, Transco began digging up Sidbury for the £75,000 10-week-long project to improve the gas supply network by replacing all metal pipes with plastic ones.

Yesterday, we told motorists that cones, diversionary routes and temporary traffic lights had been set up in Bath Road, London Road and Sidbury. But traffic was lighter than normal, flowing freely.