Town brought to standstill by roadworks

8:02am Friday 16th May 2008

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A POPULAR tourist town was brought to a standstill by roadworks this week, while a new water pipe was connected.

Residents in Hawes, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, were warned that five days of disruption were likely when Yorkshire Water dug up the town's main high street.

They were relieved when the work took less than two days to complete, but a councillor has since described the incident as "a sad day for common sense".

Councillor John Blackie, who represents the area on North Yorkshire County Council, said: "It beggars belief that Yorkshire Water would bring the town to a standstill at what should be a busy tourist period.

"If a little common sense had been shown, I'm sure a temporary connection could have been rigged up until the visitor season was over.

"There are around 30 businesses on the main road, and they are very relieved the work has been completed so quickly.

"However, that does not change the fact that nearly two days have been lost.

"It should never have happened."

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: "Coun Blackie told us of his concerns when we first announced the works.

"We liaised with North Yorkshire County Council, who told us they were not aware of any complaints and advised us to go ahead as planned.

"We know operations like this cause disruption, but they have to be done, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

A spokeswoman for the county council said: "Inconvenient as it was, this was the best option available.

"Luckily, the ground proved to be softer than we originally thought, so the work was done much quicker than expected.

"We apologise for any disruption, but overall this was relatively painless."