Archive for category: News

NEWS

November 26th, 2020 – Tier Two restrictions for Worcestershire

Today, the Government announced Worcestershire will go into Tier Two category of restrictions, once the current lockdown finishes on December 2nd.

Worcestershire has worked very hard during the lockdown to reduce the number of cases of Covid-19 in the county.

We have seen some good progress, which has resulted in the county avoiding tier 3 restrictions. We now need to continue the good work and bring the number of Covid-19 cases down further.

From Wednesday 2nd December, everyone in Worcestershire will need to observe Tier Two restrictions.

Tier Two restrictions include:

• you must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
• you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a garden or a public space – this is called the ‘rule of 6’.
• businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those which remain closed by law, such as nightclubs.
• pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals.

The full list of restrictions are available on the dedicated pages of the Government’s website.

These restrictions are considered necessary because the infection rate remains too high. The virus doesn’t stay in a single area but spreads where people are mixing. It is very important that we all now follow these new rules, to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases and stop the virus spreading further.

Dr Kathryn Cobain, Director for Public Health for Worcestershire said:  

“I would like to thank you all for your continued hard work in helping to stop the spread of Covid-19. During these recent restrictions, we have seen some positive signs that Covid-19 cases are starting to stabilise in the county.

The tier we will be in from December 2nd, will be reviewed every two weeks so it is important that we keep these figures heading in the right direction. Therefore, we need to continue to follow the measures in place to protect us all. We need to keep following the rules and keep building on the hard work we have done so far.

This is a real opportunity, to take control of the virus, get our figures down and reduce the risk of transmission, especially with Christmas around the corner.

It is up to us all now to keep going with the good work, by social distancing, by wearing a face covering, by washing our hands regularly and limiting our contacts.”

Councillor John Smith, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board added: “These new measures represent a renewed opportunity to get our numbers down even more. If we keep working together to follow the rules, we will keep the people of Worcestershire safe and reduce the transmission of the virus.”

For the latest information on the restrictions and what you can do over the Christmas period visit the dedicated pages of the County Council’s website.

ENDS

For press enquiries or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson please contact the Council’s Communications team on 01905 766646 or emailing

M40/M42 Interchange: smart motorway survey work

The M40/M42 interchange is very important for local traffic and forms an important route for long-distance traffic travelling between London and Scotland. Congestion already occurs frequently at peak times at the interchange.

We’re upgrading the M40/M42 Interchange to a smart motorway to reduce congestion and improve journey times. We will shortly start some overnight survey work to gather information to inform the final design of the scheme.

What are we doing?

We’ll be carrying out a number of different surveys including; checking drainage systems, existing buried services locations, drilling carriageway core samples and  doing ecology inspections on both carriageways in the area highlighted below. We’ll also need to carry out vegetation clearance in some isolated areas to help us access safely while we carry out the surveys.

We’ll work overnight when we know the road will be at its quietest, between 9 November 2020 and April 2021.

We’re following the latest government guidelines and will incorporate any new measures, including social distancing guidance, into our safe workplace planning.

All our sites have strict safeguarding measures to prevent the spread of COVID19 and none of our sites are open to the public. All major construction projects are closely monitored, and the situation is kept under constant review.

How will the survey work affect residents, businesses and motorists?

To carry out the surveys safely, we’ll need to close some lanes (in 4km sections at a time) but will keep one lane open Monday to Saturday between 9pm and 6am. We’ll be carrying out a ‘traffic count’ before we close the lanes and if the traffic levels are too high, we will delay the work until traffic levels are suitable.

However, we will need some closures of the M42 junction 3a link roads in January and February 2021 (the first will be around 05 January). During these closures, we’ll divert road users to the next junction to return straight back to continue their journey. We will update you on these closures closer to the time.

We’ll be working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum, but you may hear noise from the vegetation clearance or drilling if you live close by. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Also, if you’re travelling through the area please allow extra time for your journeys.

As we deliver this important road upgrade, we are conscious of the need to keep the region moving. We will coordinate our work with HS2 and the Commonwealth Games to minimise disruption to the network and we are currently finalising our work programme on this basis. We will deliver the scheme by 2023-24.

Contact us                                                                                                                                 

For information about the surveys, please contact our customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000 or email: .

If you would like more information about the scheme including planned closure details, please visit our webpage:

www.highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/west-midlands/m40-m42-interchange-smart-motorway/

WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

PUBLIC NOTICE

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

(C2173 Aqueduct Lane, Barnt Green)(Temporary Closure) Order 2020

Proposed Order: to close that part of C2173 Aqueduct Lane from its junction with B4120 Bittell Road to its junction with C2161 Sandhills Green

Reason: New Customer Connection by Openreach

Exemptions: to permit access to any land or premises fronting the highway affected where there is no other form of access; and to allow the works to be undertaken.

Alternative route: C2161 Sandhills Green, U23221 Bittell Lane, B4120 Bittell Road and vice versa.

Maximum duration: 18 Months.  Anticipated duration: 2 days Commencing: 12 November 2020