Roadworks in Taverham and Drayton cause mayhem near Norwich

Councillors say that numerous closures around Thorpe Marriott, Taverham, Costessey and Ringland were mishandled by Norfolk County Council, which issues permits for private companies to work on the roads.

Stuart Clancy, Conservative county councillor for Taverham and Thorpe Marriott, has called the ongoing road closures "badly coordinated". 

The Costessey Lane closure heading into Drayton (Image: Newsquest)

"The necessity for road closures is not there and many of the works could have been managed using traffic lights," he said.

"I am concerned that not enough effort goes into managing the road closures.

"Norfolk County Council needs to be more rigorous and robust in the handing out of permits to these private utility companies to avoid issues such as this in the future.

"The levels of frustration for road users, local residents and small businesses has been unbelievable."

Stuart Clancy, county councillor for Taverham and Thorpe Marriott(Image: Newsquest)

Liberal Dem district councillor for Taverham North, Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou, also shared her woe after folk were faced with one route in and out of the village last Wednesday.

"It just seems to be never-ending," she said.

"For some people, the closed roads were the most direct route to the hospital, and they had to take a long diversion to get to their appointments.

"There just doesn't seem to be much communication - why is all the work being done at the same time?

"It has been frustrating."

Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou, Liberal Democrat councillor for Taverham North(Image: Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou)

Small local businesses have felt the impact of the closures.

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Mark Forsdick, director of Evie's Owls in The Street in Costessey, said: "It is stopping people from driving past and seeing our signs for the business.

"While most of our customers find us online, people will stop when driving past to have a look and take our number, so we aren't getting the passing traffic."

Mark Forsdick is the director of Evie's Owls in The Street, Costessey (Image: Newsquest)

Among the work undertaken on the roads in the area last week were:

• Openreach works to "renew dangerous damaged frame and cover in the carriageway causing a hazard to vehicles" in Costessey.
• Resurfacing of the damaged carriageway in Hall Lane and at the Drayton Lane mini roundabout and all three roundabout approaches.
• A new surface in Fakenham Road.

The Ringland Road closure is also in place until the end of this week while the county council repairs a dangerous sinkhole.

Part of Ringland Road in Taverham is closed (Image: Newsquest)

A county council spokesman maintained that the work was vital, saying: "Roadworks are essential for maintaining the road network and keeping essential utilities working.

"While we understand that roadworks can be frustrating, we aim to keep disruption to a minimum by coordinating works where possible.

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"Without regular maintenance and repair, residents and businesses could see an increase in service outages or delays in the restoration of services when they are disrupted.

Road closures caused mayhem for locals in the Costessey and Taverham area last Wednesday (Image: OneNetwork)

"Traffic management measures are used to allow the work to take place.

"Sometimes, the whole road is closed when it is not safe to close only part of it, or when this will reduce the total time that the works affect the network."