Cobbles Removed from Fore Street

Cobblestones laid as part of a town centre enhancement scheme over two decades ago have been torn up and replaced with tarmac.

The work took place yesterday evening (Tuesday 24th April). The area has suffered from poor maintenance over the years with cobblestones repeatedly coming loose. 

In 1999 Fore Steet closed for four weeks after serious deterioration of the materials used during the initial implementation of the 1994 Town Centre Enhancement Scheme. The repairs cost £147,000. At that time the contractor was criticised for the poor quality of work and was removed from the local authority's list of approved contractors.

Responding on Twitter, HCC Highways said: "The cobbles weren’t designed for buses and the amount of traffic. They have been fixed 5 times in the past 3 years and they continue to fail. There have also been a few pedestrian accidents. It might look unsightly but should blend in, in a few weeks."

You can read our 2001 coverage of the works here.