FRUSTRATED residents near a busy town roundabout say a bad crash will happen if drivers keep ignoring a road closed sign.
Residents have called the situation "chaotic" - CCTV capturing a number of near-miss moments including a near head-on crash.
A county council spokesperson has warned signs must not be ignored while Severn Trent Water says drivers must comply for the safety of residents and workmen.
The saga began on Friday evening, (October 20), when signs warning Rock Hill was closed and a diversion was in place were put up.
The signs were initially put too far up Rock Hill and, with no other warnings on the approach to the roundabout at the bottom of the road, drivers realising too later were forced to turn around.
Some drivers were seen squeezing through a gap in the signs to get past, despite the road closure.
An exasperated resident in Highfield Road, near the roundabout, said numerous calls were made to warn the authorities the warnings were not in the right place.
Workmen eventually came out more than 24 hours later. In the early hours of Sunday morning the signs, including "No Through Route", were moved to the junction.
One of the near misses included a driver, travelling from Worcester Road, going straight across the roundabout on the wrong side of the road and narrowly missing a vehicle.
Another Highfield Road resident told us: "Drivers are going too fast, ignoring the road closed sign.
"They are making dangerous U‐turn manoeuvres and using our driveways to do it.
"They have been driving on the footpath and pedestrians have come close to being hit.
"It is all an accident waiting to happen."
The road closure is due to Severn Trent Water (STW) roadworks with a large sinkhole near Albert Road having traffic barriers around it.
That section is completely shut off to traffic with cones put out across the road.
However, further complicating the situation, the cones around the sinkhole were moved at the weekend with drivers slaloming around it.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council, said: “Temporary traffic management is put in place to ensure public safety and the safety of operatives on site.
"Road closure signs must not be ignored, and it is an illegal offence to move cones or barriers.
"If you spot signs and cones that have been moved, the information board on site will provide a contact number.
"Alternatively you can report it on the Worcestershire County Council website.”
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry for any issues caused around the placement of the road signs on Rock Hill.
"The traffic management on site has now been amended to a full road closure and extra fencing has also been put in place.
"We strongly urge all drivers to comply with traffic management for their own safety and the safety of residents and our teams.
"Once again, apologies for any inconvenience caused and we want to thank residents for their patience while work continues.”
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