Motorists' traffic hell

College Street, Sidbury, Edgar Street and City Walls Road have all been affected by a £58,000 scheme to improve the gas supply in Worcester.

As a result, from Monday to Friday, College Street and Sidbury have been reduced to one lane to allow engineers to lay a new gas main across the carriageway.

Commuter Sarah Davis, aged 28, who works in Worcester and lives in Birmingham, said: "I've started to dread the journey home - yesterday it took nearly an hour to get the three miles from Worcester Bridge to the M5.

"You could see people's tempers rising as the lights changed from red to green to red to green again, without anyone being able to move forward an inch.

"It's incredibly stressful - especially when you finally get to the roadworks causing the delay and there's not a single workman to be seen.

"They should be working around the clock to get it done."

Gas pipeline company Transco is in charge of the scheme.

Project manager, Paul Jones, said the restrictions are expected to be in place for another week.

'We are aware that the traffic restrictions are causing some inconvenience to motorists but I would ask everyone to bear with us while we carry out this essential work," he said.

"We are removing the restrictions at weekends in an attempt to reduce the disruption.

Double take at speed limit signs

MOTORISTS travelling through Fernhill Heath, near Worcester, were baffled by contradictory speed limit signs this week.

A sign at the side of the road displayed a 40mph limit - but right next to it, a large 30mph display was painted on the road.

Red-faced highways chiefs explained that it was because a new 30mph limit was due to come into force on the A38 at Fernhill Heath yesterday.

They had to paint the 30mph on the road a few days in advance, but they couldn't legally take the old 40mph sign down until the new limit came into force.

Sally Everest, manager of the Worcestershire Highways Partnership Wychavon Unit, admitted that it was not the ideal situation.

"It is better to have a speed limit rather than no speed limit at all," said Mrs Everest.

Reduced

"But drivers will have at least travelled at 40mph and some may have reduced their speed to 30mph, which is what we want."

She added that a public notice was sent out informing people of the change in September 2003.

Councillor Barrie Dobson, from North Claines Parish Council, said they have been pushing for the speed reduction for some time because there is a school and residential home for the elderly just off the road.

He said there was a perfectly good reason for the two signs being in place.

You can't go there on the morning and paint the road red - the paint does need time to dry, said Coun Dobson.

It is not a big issue. But obviously it can be confusing.

Jury hears of stiff work rate

A FINANCIAL adviser accused of murdering one of his clients was one of a firm's "hardest working advisers," a jury at Chester Crown Court heard yesterday.

Idris Nagaty, compliance officer for YRA based at Richmond, Surrey, was giving evidence in the trial of Peter John Crittenden, aged 64, of Beech Avenue, Barbourne, Worcester, who has denied murdering spinster Joan Beddeson, 71, of Rayleigh Close, Macclesfield, by smothering her with a pillow in her own bed.

The prosecution claim that he killed her because she was asking questions about the £279,000 she had handed to him for investment.

Mr Nagaty, questioned by Peter Hughes, QC, defending, said that Crittenden's work rate was 60 hours a week for 44 weeks of the years.

He said that Crittenden's 12-month target of £300,000 trade some years ago was "over ambitious."

Hard working

Mr Nagaty said : "He was one of our hardest working advisers.

He added that he had "no idea" that Crittenden had made a will for Miss Beddeson, with whom he had had an affair.

The trial, which is expected to last another month, continues next Wednesday.

The jury was discharged for the length of the Bank Holiday weekend.

'MY NIGHTMARE JOURNEY'

Evening News health reporter, Emma Cullwick, describes her nightmare journey home from Hylton Road, through the city centre to Rubery, south of Birmingham.

"There are three different routes I can take to get to the M5 and at first avoiding the city centre appeared to allow some reprieve from my traffic nightmares.

"However, it seems other people have cottoned on to this too and every alternative ends with me sitting in grid-locked traffic - with the end of my tether looming ever nearer.

"Some days it can take me 45 minutes to travel just four miles from one side of the city to the other, which is incredibly frustrating.

"There's nothing worse than having a long and stressful day at work only to meet with more stress on the roads.

"It's got to the stage now that I avoid the city centre altogether and head out towards Hallow and Droitwich, joining the M5 further north of Worcester.

The city's roads simply are inadequate for the sheer volume of people using them.

"It's all very well for the council to say that we should ditch our cars and opt for public transport instead, but when rail tickets cost a fortune and trains or buses are more often than not late, it's no wonder people are ignoring the advice.