UNITED Utilities have apologised to drivers hit by major road works at the Tamar.

Major sewer work which last week closed Leigh Road between Smiths Lane and Ashby Grove brought protests from motorists facing long detours and tail backs at Nel Pan Lane and Dangerous Corner.

A spokesman for the water company said it was imperative the job is completed to prevent flooding in the area.

He said: "There were few people on site at first because we were setting up. We had to dig trial holes to find the precise position of the structurally unsafe sewer.

Equipment

"The appropriate number of people were there to do the necessary job before equipment was delivered to get on with the job.

"The old sewer is prone to blocking and that can cause serious problems like flooding. We need to fix it and can only apologise to anyone affected. It is an important job and we want to get it right.

"We have also funded a temporary bus shuttle service to minimise disruption for the whole of the nine weeks."