Watchet road closures leave one route open as businesses fear lost trade
Watchet residents and traders fear six weeks of gas works on Brendon Road, plus a cliff erosion closure, have left only one windy route in and out of the town.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
People in Watchet, Somerset, say multiple road closures have left the town feeling cut off, with only one route open for motorists. Brendon Road in Watchet is shut for six weeks so new gas pipes can be laid. Another route is closed because of cliff erosion. The result is a single winding road in and out of the town.
Residents fear the loss of alternatives leaves them vulnerable. One said: 'We are trapped here to a certain extent because if anybody hit that bridge, that Victorian bridge, we wouldn't be able to get out at all. Not by car, on foot, but not by car.'
Businesses are worried that visitors will stay away. A local business owner said roadworks had already taken a toll: 'We've had probably six to nine months of roadworks already with major road closures. So yeah, it's been a tough year and still is a tough year.' Another said: 'I'd call it the last nail in the coffin. I'd say that the town feels very let down by Wales and West. We know they've got to do the work, but the consideration for the people and the businesses seems to be almost zero.'
The council is putting on special shuttle buses from Williton. Even so, some people are confused about diversions. One local social media post said a person did not know how to get from Watchet to Williton because of the diversion, which the report said showed how tricky travel had become.
Wales and West Utilities is carrying out the gas work. It said it was working with the council and others to keep disruption to a minimum, but said the work was essential to update local gas pipes. More roadworks are expected in the new year.
On the day of the report, Watchet was described as quiet. People said it was a pretty town, but that the scale of the works meant it could easily look shut. One resident said: 'This is like roadworks town, isn't it? I mean, it's endless.'
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Road closures in Watchet, including a six-week gas works closure on Brendon Road and another closure due to cliff erosion, leave only one route in and out of the town. | |
| Wales and West Utilities described the pipe upgrade work as essential and said it was coordinating with the council and others to reduce disruption. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West led with residents' sense of isolation and the threat to trade, using the phrase 'roadworks town' and 'last nail in the coffin'. It balanced those concerns with the council's shuttle buses from Williton and Wales and West Utilities' statement that the work is essential. The report also noted that more roadworks are due in the new year.
- “Residents in part of Somerset say multiple road closures have left their town desolate with only one route open to motorists.”
- “This is like roadworks town, isn't it? I mean, it's endless.”
- “I'd call it the last nail in the coffin. I'd say that the town feels very let down by Wales and West.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.