'Carnage' fear over level crossing work road closure

A council has apologised for the disruption which will be caused by the complete closure of a busy road for more than a week as part of construction work on a rail line.

A new level crossing is being installed and tested at Seghill, Northumberland, which means the A190 will only be open to pedestrians from 22:00 BST on 27 April until the same time on Sunday 5 May.

It is part of a series of road closures as work continues on the new Northumberland Line, which will provide passenger services between Ashington and Newcastle for the first time in six decades.

Nearby businesses have raised concerns about the impact of the road closure on them.

A number of bus services, including ones that transport children to school, are being diverted.

A diversionary route will be in place and a free shuttle bus provided to access those diverted services.

Dan Sharp is the general manager of the Blake Arms in Seghill and says the closure will really "damage business".

"The road is one of the main access points to the pub, and brings a lot of our customers from Seaton Delaval and further afield," he said.

"People are really fed up, that's a really busy road, it's going to be carnage," he added.

A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: "We understand that working near homes and businesses, and working overnight, is far from ideal and we are sorry in advance for any disruption these essential works may cause.

"Our teams have been briefed and will be mindful when carrying out this work, making sure all the relevant mitigations are in place to avoid excess noise."

The level crossing at Holywell will also be closed from 22:00 on Saturday 27 April until 06:00 on Saturday 4 May again for the installation and testing of a new level crossing.

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