Lichfield MP complains over HS2 road and footpath closures

Road and footpath closures for HS2 works have created ongoing problems for residents in Lichfield, the prime minister was told.

Construction for parts of the project have been under way for several months in the Staffordshire city.

And Lichfield's MP, Michael Fabricant, said at the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session that closures were causing damage in the area.

Rishi Sunak said contractors are working hard to limit disruption.

HS2 is intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in the Midlands and North of England.

Lichfield is at the northern point of phase 1 of the project and the southern point of phase 2a. The rail line will eventually travel through a tunnel beneath the A38.

Roads in Fradley and Streethay on the outskirts of the city have been closed for several months after works began.

"We don't know how long they will go on for," Mr Fabricant, an outspoken critic of HS2, told the House of Commons on Wednesday.

He called HS2 Ltd the most "dysfunctional organisation" he's had to deal with and asked for it to be restructured and, in the long-term, the scheme stopped at the end of phase 1 of the high-speed rail project.

The company has previously said it aimed to minimise the impact of its work on local communities "wherever possible".

In response to the MP, Mr Sunak said he understood the frustrations in Lichfield.

"I am told that HS2 Ltd is prioritising the completion of works underway to keep disruption to a minimum, including roadworks in Lichfield," he said.

"The transport secretary will continue to hold them to account and the company will keep local communities informed about future works."

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