A MISERABLE start to the New Year is in store for motorists in York following news that two major city centre roads are to be closed to traffic, one of them until Easter.

In an email seen by The Press, Yorkshire Water has told city councillors it intends to close Fishergate between Cemetery Road and Melbourne Street, for 12 weeks, from January 24, while work is carried out on dilapidated Victorian sewerage pipes.

Drivers also face the two-week closure of Tower Street, heading towards the city centre, from its junction with Bishopgate Street, from January 10. Businesses in the Fishergate area have said they now fear the prolonged closure could have a serious effect in trade.

Steve Heyman, of Alligator Wholefoods in Fishergate, said: “It’s not a great idea from our point of view but I am aware that infrastructure needs to be reviewed.

“Whether shutting the road for that length of time is the best way to do it, I couldn’t say.

“If they had a one-way system so that only half the road was closed, that would be an idea. But people might not be able to stop anyway at our shop.”

He said customers often relied on the use of their car when buying heavy bags of food, such as potatoes.

Liz Jackson, proprietor of the nearby York Priory guesthouse, said she hoped the work would be completed quickly.

“I urge Yorkshire water to spend as little time as possible doing this work,” she said. “For us, this time of year is ideal. It’s our quietest time year so I would be devastated if they were doing it in the summer months.”

John Bond, of the community engagement team at Yorkshire Water, said: “The sewers themselves are Victorian and earlier this year the sewer collapsed outside the Hilton hotel and that caused a lot of disruption.

“If we leave these sewers they will collapse. It’s unfortunate that the sewers are in the middle of the road so often the only safe way to work on them is to close the road.”

A spokeswoman for City of York Council confirmed the work would be taking place and said it would use the closures to carry out maintenance work of its own. She also confirmed the Fishergate work would be finished by the Easter holidays. Fishergate will re-open temporarily during the half-term holidays.