Locals slam two week A421 closure as 'absolute disgrace' as road finally reopens

People living near a major dual carriageway which has reopened after being shut for two weeks by flooding have called for action to stop the "nightmare" happening again.

The A421 in Bedfordshire had been closed at Marston Moretaine since torrential rain left the road underwater on Sunday 22 September.

It reopened on Monday following a two week operation to pump millions of litres of water away from the site.

Some locals reported journeys had been taking at least double the usual amount of time with one woman describing a 10 minute journey which took an hour-and-a-half.

The road is one of the busiest in Bedfordshire and part of a key route from Cambridge through Milton Keynes to Oxford.

One local councillor described the closure of the road as an "absolute disgrace".

Sue Clark, local councillor for Cranfield and Marston, said: "There's been a huge impact not just because of the travel disruption but we've had HGVs and standstill traffic through the villages for the last fortnight."

She said on the night the A421 closed traffic had found its own way through nearby villages making the situation worse.

Some homes were actually flooded as large vehicles created a "bow wave" forcing water into roadside houses.

Ms Clark said: "People are extremely angry and frustrated. This isn't the first time that the A421 has been closed here for flooding it's happened several times before and I feel National Highways have had due warning that this is a point of failure and needs to be addressed."

She called on National Highways to consult people in the area about how to solve the problem in the future.

"Surely National Highways have got to sort it out this time and make sure they have an adequate system in place.

"It's an absolute disgrace that this major road has been blocked for a fortnight. I'm glad that highways have got it open again but we should never have been in this position in the first place."

The road partially reopened on Monday but was down to one lane in places as workers repaired parts of the surface which had been damaged by the flood.

At one point the water was said to be 14ft deep and several cars were immersed in the floodwater.

This time last week there were fears that the road could be closed for weeks.

National Highways staff had worked hard to correct the problem which happened as Bedfordshire suffered its wettest ever September.

National Highways said it appreciated that while the road reopening was "good news for motorists..but it doesn’t change the disruption and inconvenience this has caused to local people".

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