WORK to fix gas pipes in West Malvern should finish this week. 

Residents in West Malvern Road have been coping with disruption caused by Cadent since before Christmas.

Now, though, the company says work is due to finish soon.

Once finished, further work is not expected for another 80 years, with the new pipes installed planned to be future-proof in case they one day need to carry hydrogen rather than natural gas.

When the road was originally closed in November, residents were told it would be closed for 38 days.

Despite this, the work has taken much longer.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin visited the site this week and praised residents for their patience.

She said: "Major projects like these are always going to cause disruption and the road closures have come at a difficult time of year.

"I know that the team running the project have worked hard to be as flexible as possible to reduce the impact on local people but we will all be glad to see the end of the works.

"I’m told that this project will mean that this pipework will last until the end of this century and I firmly hope that this will be the case.

"Of course, by then, we may not even be relying on gas to heat our homes and cook our food but I would expect this important utility network is fit-for-purpose for many years to come."

The road, used mainly as a route over the hills and down to Upper Wyche, Little Malvern and Ledbury, had been coned off with signs warning drivers they could not pass through.

In June last year, an underground gas leak saw the road closed while Cadent repaired the pipe.

Cadent Gas, which manages the local network, repaired the problem after a member of the public smelt gas.

First Bus has had to divert its 656 and 657 services between Malvern and Ledbury via Wyche Cutting, Belle Vue Terrace and Rose Bank Gardens.