Residents in Whitchurch are being urged to attend a consultation ahead of a major gas work upgrade in the town next month.

Cadent will be joined by contractor Balfour Beatty at a stall at the town's market on July 6, or then attend a later session in the Civic Centre between 5-7pm.

The public meetings are ahead of four weeks of essential work in the High Street to replace a gas pipe, and will see the road closed from Benjamins to Pepper Street from July 23.

The road will be closed to vehicles, but pedestrians and members of the public will still be able to access the High Street while businesses will remain open throughout.

Whitchurch mayor, Councillor Tony Neville, said: “We know this work needs to be done and our priority has been to ensure it causes least possible disruption to town centre life. "Whitchurch Town Council has worked with Shropshire Council, Cadent, and its contractors Balfour Beatty, to identify and find solutions to potential issues.

“The public consultation event on July 6 in the Civic Centre is important too in helping explain what’s happening and why, so I’d encourage people to come along and ask questions.”

Steve Murray, who heads Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme in the West Midlands, added: “We are incredibly grateful for the understanding and support we’ve received locally while we’ve planned this work to date.

“This is essential work, part of a nationwide programme, to ensure we can safely distribute gas to homes in the local area, for heating and cooking.

“Our pipes are often situated under roads, so it’s inevitable we will cause disruption when we carry out work like this.

“We’ve worked closely with businesses and councils in Whitchurch to draw up a work plan to minimise this as much as possible.

“We have teams booked and ready to move quick to reinstate the road surface and walkways as soon as the pipe work finishes.” Residents unable to attend can contact the customer team on 0161 703 1000.