A STALEMATE has been reached in one Herefordshire town after fears were raised about exposed gas mains.

Gas pipework has been struck by lorries in the lane on more than one occasion in just a few short months, minutes from a meeting of Bromyard Town Council's traffic management committee previously revealed.

But efforts to rectify the problem have hit a snag, according to minutes from Bromyard Town Council's April meeting.

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Previous meeting minutes revealed that councillors had heard a request from a Bromyard resident for support for a traffic regulation order in the town's Linton Lane to prohibit access for heavy goods vehicles as the road is unsuitable.

Councillors were "alarmed" to be told of two "potentially serious incidents" in the lane since August 2023, with gas pipework struck by lorries in the "narrow and unsuitable" lane, and locals left without gas as a result. 

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It was recommend that full council request that Herefordshire Council implement an emergency prohibition notice for lorries using Linton Lane, with a view to imposing this as a permanent measure on safety grounds, with the recommendation later approved.

Ward councillor Pete Stoddart later confirmed that the 'no HGV' signs were being produced and will be installed at the top and bottom of the lane, while Herefordshire Council had written to Cadent, the gas provider, to request them to address the issue and have the exposed gas main buried.

But, the most recent minutes said, Herefordshire's roads contractor Balfour Beatty had written to Cadent to ask them to relocate the mains, but the gas provider was "refusing to do the work because the adjacent wall is in an unsafe condition, and the wall's owner is unwilling to address the issue".