Roadworks causing issues and chaos for businesses and residents

Across Cannock, there are currently three sets of roadworks taking place, starting with the junction of the A34 Walsall Road with Mill Street and Avon Street in Cannock town centre.

Outside of the town centre, there are also works taking place at Mill Farm on the A5190 Lichfield Road, near to the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, and around the junction of Allport Street and Hednesford Road.

The works, which started around 10 days ago, have seen large lines of traffic at the temporary traffic lights, with the notorious T-Junction at Walsall Road, Mill Street and Avon Street in the town centre especially busy, with cars seen queueing as far back as the Ringway roundabout.

The effects of the roadworks has been felt by both businesses and by residents in the town, with both talking about access issues and noise.

Roger Jevons, who owns and runs a hair studio and barber shop on the Ringway Road, said it has been a hassle for him and for his customers since the works began.

He said: "They've been going on for about 10 days and we've got another three weeks of this and it's been so hard for my customers as they can't cross the road to get here.

"To access my shop, you're having to go all the way down Avon Road, then cross over that and over Walsall Road and walk up Mill Street and it's causing some many issues with people walking up.

"I haven't had much communication from the council or from Zoom, who are the ones doing the works about here, and that's been frustrating as we've not know when it was going to start and it's just caused chaos around here."

For Kerst Ward, the roadworks on the Lichfield Road had been causing him significant issues due to being unable to leave his home during heavy traffic.

He said: "I live two doors down from the island where the designer village is and the works have been a nightmare as I struggle to leave my home and I can't turn right and I think it's just an accident waiting to happen.

"This has been going on since the development of the designer village and it's just the icing on the cake as I feel I am living in a fishbowl, with cars directly outside my house all the time.

"They've spent all this time putting in a cycle lane and spending money on it and I think it's all been a waste of time."

David Williams, Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways at Staffordshire County Council said: “Our Highways teams work carefully to coordinate works on the roads to help minimise costs, disruption and inconvenience to both residents and motorists.

"This often means co-ordinating highways maintenance, new developments, utility and telecom projects and emergency work – and sometimes all at once.

“Cannock town and the surrounding areas are currently going through a growth phase with a lot of utility and telecommunication works taking place, this is in addition to our own highway maintenance and local scheme work.

"Our highways teams continue to deal with an increasing number of requests to carry out work on the roads and are managing this as best they can to keep the town moving.”