LEDBURY people are waiting to see how the evening closures of Top Cross will affect them this week, amid claims that the time schedule suits local traders more than commuters.

The first evening closure took place on Sunday, from 6pm to midnight; but this evening, Monday September 22, will be the first working day where the closure is likely to pose a challenge to people travelling home.

While it is certain that Top Cross will be closed to all traffic from 6pm, it is not yet certain how well the diversions will function, how much access to some roads will be affected, and how much pressure will be placed on local lanes and back-lanes into Ledbury.

Ledbury resident, Terry Wilkins said: "You will soon find out which roads are closed.Then you will find out out which roads are not closed. See you in the queue."

Ledbury resident, Alison Turner believes the main impact of the work on local residents will be the noise from the re-surfacing and cable-laying work.

She said: "It is in the evening, so it is going to affect those who live in town the most from the noise, - not really the traffic jams."

Some Ledbury residents believe the timing of the closures, on the evening, is to limit the impact on local traders, at the expense of other members of the community.

Ledbury resident, Colin Marschall said: "I have to say that a lot of the time decisions made concerning Ledbury as a whole do seem to centre around the effect it would have on the traders.

"Even at Ledbury Town Council meetings I have attended, the primary interest of a number of councillors, in subjects relating to disruption and so on, is not the overall population they represent, but for the traders."