AN unexpected road closure has caused traffic disruption and a potential loss of trade for a Malvern pub.

The B4218 was closed from Tuesday morning, according to local reports, for emergency works by Severn Trent due to a water leak.

The highways department at Worcestershire County Council said Wyche Road was not expected to reopen until Friday morning but the water company responded to insist it could be completed on Wednesday.

Steph Daly, who has run The Wyche Inn on Wyche Road with partner Tony Skelton for 14 years, said: "I'm not very happy with them.

"There's been no notice to say businesses are open as usual, not at this end of the road.

"It's affecting the road massively. You cannot get from Malvern up to the Wyche. It's about a quarter-of-a-mile from us.

"Tuesdays can be quite quiet but we possibly are losing trade.

"If it did not open until Friday morning then that is going to have a major impact on us.

"It seems that what started out as routine work has now turned into an emergency.

"But the emergency was on Tuesday when there was a three-foot fountain. It looks like a pipe had burst.

"It is also creating havoc for traffic down the West Malvern road because it's only a narrow road and people are driving down there instead.

"We just hope people will come from the Colwall side to visit us. It's bad enough for pubs as it is at the moment."

Steph and Tony have put their own temporary paper sign up to let people know the pub is still open for business.

She said work had originally been scheduled with traffic control from Tuesday morning until early Wednesday.

One poster on the Malvern Hills Display Board said: "The problem is that everyone is now going round West Malvern and that's not the best road for heavy traffic."

Another said: "There's a burst pipe. The water looked like an erupting volcano."

A post on X from the county council's highways department account @WorcsTravel on Tuesday evening said: "Emergency water leak works by Severn Trent at Wyche Road, Malvern - we were expecting traffic lights but we are hearing reports that the road is closed."

Severn Trent said on X at Wednesday lunchtime: "We do have a crew on site carrying out repairs on the network so it can be completed today (Wednesday)."

A spokesperson for the water company said: “To keep people safe whilst work is carried out on a water main, a road closure is in place on Wyche Road. 

"Teams are working on the complex fix. We’re sorry for any delays to people’s journeys and we’re working as quickly as possible to get the road opened.”