URGENT calls have made for a permanent fix after the same stretch of a key road in Stroud was closed for repair work for the third time since November.

A closure put in place on a stretch of Stratford Road between SGS College and the Tesco supermarket mini-roundabout on Friday morning led to disbelief.

There was an outcry on social media as it was the third closure on the route in four months and caused long hold-ups across the town with bus company Stagecoach warning of delays on services.

Gloucestershire County Council said the work was needed due to water damage which is being linked to underground pipes.

Pictures taken at the scene show large potholes on the surface.

It was originally stated that the closure would last until 3.30pm this Friday but the route actually reopened on Monday morning after work was completed.

However, despite the work finishing earlier than expected, there was severe congestion over the weekend leading to calls for urgent action to ensure further closures are not needed.

County councillor John Bloxsom, who represents Rodborough, said: "This is happening far too often on the same small section of road and it causes massive problems around the town.

"The county council needs to investigate and sort out the problem so it doesn't keep happening."

"It's open now, but there appears to be water rising from below the road surface.

"It looks like there may be an underlying problem with a watercourse and / or drainage pipes.

"This needs investigation for a permanent fix."

Mayor Stella Parkes said: "The road closure has again caused major issues for residents, visitors, traders, the college and leisure centre and we strongly encourage Gloucestershire County Council to address the problems urgently.

"Gloucestershire highways are the responsible organisation and we hope they are able to provide a robust update on the situation as soon as possible."

Tony Davey, chair of Stroud Chamber of Trade, said: "It is very frustrating for traders and visitors alike that this road is blighted by reactive road closures.

"Hopes had been raised in 2023 that the long-term closure to fix the issues would have addressed them but this was soon followed by another closure and the multiple subsequent closures have also proven otherwise, seemingly in the areas where the work was originally focused.

"Our members commented, especially on Saturday, that their customers had highlighted the problems they had accessing the town, and that people they had hoped to meet up with had given up and returned home.

"We need a robust, well maintained network of roads, ways and pavements within the Stroud district, to ensure our local economy does not suffer and our workers, residents and visitors are served well."

Paul Helbrow, local highways manager at GCC, said: “Last year work was carried out to prevent flood damage to Stratford Road, between Tesco and the entrance to Stratford Park.

"We were disappointed to see a new issue occurred recently close by downhill from the previous work.

“We are investigating the underlying cause of the problem and using CCTV to examine underground pipes.

"In the meantime, we have completed temporary repairs and the road is now open.”

In November, GCC apologised after a full closure on the stretch caused traffic jams across town for two weeks.

The closure was in place due to emergency repairs after a suspected pipe blockage caused a hole to appear in the carriageway during extreme rainfall.

Last month traffic lights were put in place for three days for repairs.

Finally, in September 2022 a stretch of the road was resurfaced to ensure it was suitable for the Tour of Britain race.