BEWDLEY 'Switchback' may remain closed until the weekend after Severn Trent Water shut the road at the end of High Street last night, following a sewer collapse.

The water company applied to Worcestershire Highways for an emergency closure after the sewer collapse caused internal flooding to nearby properties last night (Monday, July 6).

The B4194, or the 'Switchback' as it is known locally, may remain closed until Saturday (July 11).

The road provides a route between Bewdley and Stourport on the west side of the Severn.

Diversions are in place via the Bewdley and Stourport bridges and Bewdley Road.

A spokesman from Severn Trent Water said: "We have discovered that one of our sewers on the B4194 has partially collapsed.

"Our teams are on site now carrying out the repair so that there's no impact on the local area or community from escaping sewage.

"To keep everyone safe while we do this work, we have unfortunately had to close the road to traffic and we would like to say sorry for the inconvenience we know this may cause.

"We will work hard to get everything fixed and back to normal as quickly as we can, but we expect this to take until the end of the week."