Gas main replacement is being carried out throughout Rayleigh and on July 27 the High Street will be closed as part of this scheme.

Apart from notices advising this closure, I have been unable to find any references to contingency plans to deal with the inevitable traffic chaos this will cause, ie alternative routings, ambulance and fire service provisions and this despite contacting the local council, police etc.

If the efforts of the repair contractors elsewhere are any guide, the High Street will probably be closed for several weeks which must have serious consequences for the shops in the town.

Motorists are going to be hard pressed to find alternative routes since many of the roads avoiding the High Street are themselves in the midst of similar work much of which is nowhere near completion. This work is, of course, essential, but I do believe the authorities should be giving thought to the inevitable traffic problems in a town which already has its fair share of snarl ups.

C A Campbell
Grayson Close
Rayleigh