Damaged sewer to close road for rest of the week

A damaged sewer pipe has closed a major road in West Yorkshire, with disruption expected to last until the end of the week.

Yorkshire Water said the A646 Halifax Road at Charlestown, Hebden Bridge, had been shut in both directions as an "emergency" measure on Friday evening.

The company said it was working to repair the damage "as soon as possible".

However, the closure of the road, which links Hebden Bridge to nearby Todmorden, is set to affect commuters and Christmas shoppers until Friday at the earliest.

A spokesperson for the company said: "We have done our best to get everything we need to site over the weekend to ensure a speedy fix of both the culvert, which usually falls under council responsibility, and the damaged sewer.

"We have broken ground and will repair both assets, to make sure everything is back to normal as soon as possible."

Yorkshire Water added: "The issue is deep underground, so to ensure the safety of our colleagues and customers, we need to keep the diversion in place for at least a week, unless any unexpected complications arise."

Diversions have been put in place, with HGVs told to re-route via the M62 and local traffic told to use the A58 through Littleborough.

Calderdale Council's Cabinet member for transport, Councillor Sarah Courtney, said: "We absolutely understand how disruptive this emergency road closure is, and as a resident of Hebden Bridge I know that people living and working in the area are concerned about the timing and duration of the closure.

"We're doing all we can to advise people that businesses are still open as normal and would appreciate people's support, especially at this busy time of year."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.