A road in Bewdley has reopened after work was completed ahead of schedule. 

Dowles Road was set to be closed from Monday, November 18 to Friday, November 22 to facilitate utility work on the new housing development. 

Residents had previously raised concerns over the long detour to get into town, increased fuel costs and the lack of access for emergency service vehicles. 

Worcestershire County Council, Severn Trent and contractors Avove worked hard to address concerns and promised to finish the work as quickly as possible. 

Ahead of the closure, a spokesperson for Severn Trent said: "We’re sorry for the disruption these works will cause, this is essential work which will see us connect new houses to our network.

"We have worked with the council to look at the diversion route intensely to try to minimise the impact, however due to the nature of the works, this is the only option that was available to ensure the safety of the public and our workers.

"We will be working to ensure the job is completed as quickly as possible." 

In welcome news for residents, the road reopened ahead of schedule on Wednesday (November 20) after the work was completed.