Road closure in Elmswell set to cause traffic problems for motorists

A busy road in Elmswell is to close for 20 days with fears raised it will lead to a nightmare for motorists.

School Road will be shut from July 31 to August 23 to allow work to be carried out at the village’s fire station.

Details of the road closure comes at a time when the station is closed for nine weeks with its crews relocated temporarily while it has some refurbishment work carried out.

Crews and equipment have been moved to Goldstar Transport, in Woolpit, while the station is closed to allow them to continue to respond.

A spokesperson for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said: “The station is temporarily closed to allow for the installation of new drains under the drill yard. Work began on Monday, June 3 and is scheduled to last nine weeks.

“During this time the Elmswell fire engine and all of our equipment will be temporarily based nearby at Goldstar Transport, who have generously agreed to host us. This will enable fire cover to be maintained as usual for the Elmswell area.”

Meanwhile, the closure of School Road towards the end of next month is set to cause problems for drivers in the village, particularly HGVs and buses who use the route in and out of New Road, The Street and Station Road, leading out to Great Ashfield.

Elmswell is already busy with normal traffic and cutting off one of the main roads is set to lead to problems on unsuitable roads nearby with Church Road set to become far more busier than normal.

Suffolk County Council has met with the contractor to discuss traffic management requirements as part of the Elmswell Police and Fire Station upgrade.

A spokesman was reported as saying: “It will be necessary for the road to be closed due to open excavations throughout the upgrade which is an essential piece of work to allow the station to remain operational.

“Businesses and residents should be contacted by the contractor two weeks prior to the work commencing.”