Dereham Yaxham Road works now completed by county council

On March 20, people and businesses in the town were told to brace themselves for a month of traffic disruption due to pavement reconstruction works, blocking off a major route out of the town centre.

But Norfolk County Council put on extra work gangs to speed things up and got the job done two weeks ahead of schedule.

A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that all works have been completed, except for the replacement of a sign which will be completed at a later date. The team is now in the process of demobilising the site compound.

"To speed up the work two work gangs have been employed, instead of the usual one.

"This has on occasions been further increased to three, but this not always possible due to safety reasons."

The southbound lane of Yaxham Road from Tavern Lane to the mini-roundabout at the junction with Station Road was closed - with four-way traffic lights in operation on Yaxham Road at the junction with Greens Road as work takes place.

Signs in Dereham were warning the works were set to take place over five weeks (Image: Harry Clarke)

The project's early finish will come as a relief to business owners, who reported a sharp decline in footfall as a result of the road closure.

Paul Sandford, the landlord of the Railway Tavern on Yaxham Road (Image: Archant)

Paul Sandford, the landlord of the Railway Tavern on Yaxham Road, was fearful that the works could have led to his business closing permanently.

Mr Sandford said: “While I was really pleased to have it all cleared up in time for Easter, we were still really quiet as people were unaware they had finished."

Barriers outside the Railway Tavern, on Yaxham Road, in Dereham (Image: Harry Clarke)

“Hopefully now people will get back to shopping and using local businesses in Dereham. It was a blow we could have all done without but we fully recognise the need for improvements.

“I just hope that if it were to happen in the future, businesses will be consulted."