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Severn Trent is providing the people of Newark with a free bus service in and around the town centre, starting in mid-February, as the company begins work on the next stage of its £60 million investment in the town.

As well as providing free transport, Castle Gate will be turned into a one-way system to help keep traffic moving while also allowing the road to remain open during work.

Nick Wallace from Severn Trent says: “Last year we launched the Siege Breaker, which is still tunnelling under the streets of Newark, now we need to connect the existing sewer pipes to this tunnel so that our customers can benefit from having much bigger sewers which will help protect them from flooding.

“We fully understand this is a busy, well used, vital part of the town, which is why so much planning has gone into ensuring this work causes as little disruption as possible, so along with Nottinghamshire County Council and local bus companies, we came up with the solution of a one-way system and free shuttle buses for everyone.”

Stagecoach, Travel Wright and Marshalls will be providing the buses that will circulate the town centre. They’ll be available to anyone and will be free to use.

Buses will operate Monday to Saturday and will run every 15 minutes from 6:30am to 7:30pm starting on Monday 19th February

Buses and the one-way system will be in place for the duration of the work on Castle Gate which is set to start mid-February and which is expected to be completed in June.

“We know how important it is that everyone can still get around the town and that our work doesn’t disrupt anyone’s plans,” said Nick. “With the one-way system in place thanks to the County Council, we can make sure Castle Gate remains open and avoid a road closure which would cause a huge inconvenience, which is something we don’t want.”

Severn Trent’s investment in Newark is expected to be completed by 2020, and, when finished, more than 400 homes and businesses will be protected from sewer flooding.

Contract partners, BNM Alliance will be carrying out work on the project on behalf of the company.

“We know that the changes may take some time to get used to, but we really hope it doesn’t cause too much of an issue,” said Nick. “We’re really thankful for everyone’s support as we’ve worked in Newark, and would encourage everyone to make use of the free buses and to continue to support local businesses.”

For more information, visit stw.works