Call to stop minor roadworks while major work on

Karen Brady from The Grooming Shack said people could not "just nip out" any more without facing delays

All non-essential roadworks in Bromsgrove should be halted until lengthy improvements to the A38 are finished, according to the town's MP.

Conservative Bradley Thomas said multiple works were adding to congestion and delays across the Worcestershire town, and fuelling residents' frustrations.

The Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) on the A38 began at the start of 2024, but residents and businesses have questioned whether the £50m improvements will be worth the disruption.

Worcestershire County Council confirmed it was deferring non-essential works where possible, but had to strike a balance with utility companies.

The A38 improvement programme aims to reduce congestion along the route between junction four of the M5 and the junction of the A38/B4094.

Overseen by the county council, the project includes widening road sections, adding additional lanes and improving junctions.

Improvements will be made to cycling facilities, including the provision of an active travel route between the train station and town centre.

Lilith Holsey Sheppard from the Butchers Block on the High Street said there always seemed to be road works going on

Shopkeeper Lilith Holsey Sheppard from the Butchers Block on the high street said she was concerned the volume of roadworks would deter shoppers.

"We are a pedestrianised high street anyway, so we rely on people being able to get into the town and to be able to park for our businesses to thrive," she said.

"It just seems that every time there's a holiday... there's not just one, there's half a dozen and it affects every single in and out point of the town.

"It seems that we've got a community of people that are trying to do things to bring people down to the high street and then they put roadworks everywhere and it just scuppers everything."

Karen Brady from The Grooming Shack said clients' dogs were arriving stressed because their owners had left home very early to avoid the works making them late.

"There's none of this just nipping out for a pint of milk anymore or, I'll just meet you down the road for a quick one," she said. "You can't just go down the road and come back [because] it's a long way around."

Work on the Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) on the A38 started at the beginning of 2024