BUS operator Stagecoach has said it is diverting services around Frodsham Street in Chester for safety reasons.

The move is down a water company carrying out works in the road, located close to the bus interchange at Gorse Stacks.

Stagecoach initially took to Twitter at around 11am on Monday (June 3) to say its 5,7,16 and PR services had been affected by a ‘closure’ but were now operating as normal.

However, an hour later the company tweeted: “With regard to earlier information about Frodsham St, our buses will now continue to divert as it has been deemed unsafe to use...apologies for any confusion.”

A spokesman for Cheshire West and Chester Council said they had given Severn Trent permission to carry out work in the street.

A water company spokesman said: "We’re currently doing some work on Frodsham Street, Chester, to connect a property to the water supply.  We started work on Sunday and worked overnight to get this job done as quickly as possible as we know it’s in an awkward spot.

“We understand that the buses have been struggling to get past the work, but we have today had the local council come out to check the road. We’ve found that it is possible for the buses to get through although it is tight, and the road has been deemed safe."

She added: “We want to say sorry for any inconvenience this work may be causing and to reassure people that we will get it finished as quickly as possible. The pipe is an odd size and so special fittings have had to be ordered, but we’re hoping it will all be complete by tomorrow.”

The road was redesigned in 2017 to complement the city’s new £13.5 million bus station, which was moved from Princess Street to make way for the long-awaited Northgate development.

It became a “shared space where priority is shared between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists” leading some to question the safety of allowing traffic and pedestrians to share the same area.

To date, no one is known to have been injured as a result of the new road layout.