BUSINESSES and residents in Roadwater are bracing themselves for the impact of the closure of the village's main road - just weeks before Christmas.

Work to modernise ageing water mains means an area roughly from Roadwater Stores and Post Office to just beyond the Valiant Soldier pub will be out of bounds to traffic for two weeks from Monday.

And although the closure will affect just a 320-metre stretch, local people say motorists will face a tortuous detour many miles long to reach the shop and pub at one of the busiest times of the year.

They insist that vital trade for both businesses will be lost, while community events such as the annual village pantomime and the Christmas tree festival in neighbouring Treborough will be hit.

Villagers are also concerned that if the weather turns icy, the alternative routes outlined by highways chiefs could be impassable.

Somerset County Council, which gives permission for road closures, said this week that it had contacted Wessex Water but been told the work had to be carried out before Christmas so the date of the closure could not be moved.

Local people have also lobbied the water company and although they say the contractors appointed to carry out the work have been helpful, their pleas to "higher" authorities have fallen largely on deaf ears.

Mike Twine, licensee of the Valiant Soldier, said he was angry at the lack of notification about the closure.

"The first we knew about it was just under a fortnight ago," he said.

"We understand there was a public notice in the Free Press but you would have thought that the businesses and homes directly affected by this would at least have had letters dropped through their doors to warn them.

"Although the shop will be just about accessible, the pub will be cut off completely.

"I'm not saying we make all our money at Christmas but it is one of the busiest times of the year with lots of party bookings.

"I understand the work has to be done but I think this is all down to the powers that be at Wessex Water, who simply haven't thought about the impact this closure will have."

Mr Twine said he was urging all customers to drive as close as they could to the closed-off stretch of road and walk the remainder of the way.

Brian Knight, who has run Roadwater Stores with his wife Helen for the past seven years, said it was already difficult to make a living in the current economic climate.

"This could break us," he warned. "It's going to have a massive impact because we serve a lot of outlying villages and people just aren't going to be able to reach us - some people would face a 20-mile round trip to get here, which is ridiculous.

"This is the run-up to Christmas, with last overseas posting dates which will affect the post office side of our business.

"It's getting harder every year to make a living and this is just such bad timing."

West Somerset Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor, who has a house in Treborough, agreed that the timing of the closure could not be worse.

"This is an absurd time of the year to close the road, because apart from the impact on businesses and community events, the detours suggested by the county council could well be unusable if we get bad weather in the next fortnight," he said.

"Doing this work in the spring would be a much better option."

Villager Marion Peake, who lives above the shop, said the road closure would slice Roadwater in half.

"We could live with this for a couple of days, but two weeks before Christmas?

"We can't believe they're doing this to us at this time of year."

And Mary Coles, who lives near the village recreation ground, just below the stretch of road affected, said everyone was "up in arms" about the situation.

"This has been very poorly thought out without any consideration for the people whose lives and jobs are going to be affected - and it's going to affect loads of people, with no compensation for the loss of trade for our village businesses.

"The next fortnight is going to be an absolute nightmare."

A Wessex Water spokesman told the Free Press that the work would reduce the likelihood of customers receiving discoloured water.

"The scheme in Roadwater is part of a programme of works to improve water supply for residents and businesses," she said.

"While it is not possible to reschedule the work we will aim to get it completed in time for Christmas.

"We apologise for any inconvenience the work may cause and thank residents for their patience."