VILLAGERS fear a two-month road closure is cutting them off from emergency services.

The B6309 at Chare Bank, Ebchester, near Consett, will be closed for the next nine weeks while Northumbrian Water contractors carry out major works.

The closure of the road, a main route to Corbridge in Northumberland, has left motorists with a ten-mile diversion along country lanes.

Residents fear that, should anything go wrong, the emergency services will face long delays in reaching their isolated rural community.

Councillor Eric Turner, who represents the Ebchester ward on Derwentside District Council, said: "If we have an emergency, I don't know how on earth we are going to get an ambulance there.

"This whole thing has been very badly planned. If they had traffic lights and a one-way system in place, that would be much better, rather than making everyone trail all the way around."

The closure in the run up to Christmas has also dealt a major blow to businesses in the area.

David Potts is the owner of the Herb Patch, a herb nursery that only opened six months ago.

He said: "We have just started to build up regular customers and were expecting a lot of Christmas trade."

"Northumbrian Water has said we can apply for compensation, but the form they sent out asks for our last three years' accounts and we have only been open since Easter."

Other businesses affected include a timber merchant, an aquatic supplier and two quarries.

Northumbrian Water applied to Durham County Council for the road closure, while workers install new pipes.

It is part of a £250,000 programme to improve the sewerage system in the area.

The work aims to put an end to the present problem, where heavy rainfall leads to sewage leaking into a burn that runs into the River Derwent.

A company spokesman said: "Any diversion or road closure would have to be approved by Durham County Council.

"It is a very steep, narrow bank. We looked at using traffic lights, but that was not possible.

"We would apologise for any inconvenience caused, but are optimistic that we will finish ahead of schedule."