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Road signs leave drivers 'going round in circles'

John Devinein Parson Drove
John Devine/BBC A lady with short red hair, with a fringe over her eyes. She has a grey fleece top on with the hood down and a brown strap of a bag over her shoulder. Behind her is a green with some trees and a gravel road leading to her. John Devine/BBC
Lisa Boreham followed the diversion signs which took her on a complete loop of the village

Residents in a Fenland village have said they "don't know if they are coming or going" due to diversion signs that seem to contradict each other.

Parson Drove, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, currently has diverted traffic and diversion signs pointing both left and right at the top of the thoroughfare in the village, Main Road.

Lisa Boreham lives locally and said she followed one of the diversion signs only for it to bring her back to where she started from.

Anglian Water, which is carrying out works in the area, said it will "review the arrangements and ensure the signage is clear and coherent for motorists."

John Devine/BBC A crossroads on a junction in Parson Drove village, a yellow diverted traffic points right while further up the road a similar yellow diversion sign is pointing left, in between the signs there is a further yellow sign that reads 'diversion ends'. Some houses can been seen in the background.John Devine/BBC
One resident says she now tries to avoid any roads that have a diversion sign on - adding she believes several different utility companies are doing road works at the same time
John Devine/BBC A man with short blonde hair and a darker beard and moustache, he has dark framed glasses and blue fleece hoodie top, behind him are trees and the diversion signs are visible.John Devine/BBC
Luke Bundock says there seems to be multiple roadworks that have all "landed at the same time"

Luke Bundock lives in Parson Drove and told the BBC the signage had led to "chaos" with motorists unsure which way to turn.

"People don't know where they are going or what they are doing", he said.

Bundock says he also "went round in circles" following diversion signs, not knowing where he was heading.

"We sometimes have difficulty getting out of the village - if there is a burst water main too, it is absolute chaos", he added.

John Devine/BBC A woman with blonde hair down to her shoulders. She is wearing a grey top and is standing behind a bar, with bottles, pork scratchings and optics around her.John Devine/BBC
Debbie Lewis works at the Swan pub and says "nobody seems to know what is happening" with regards to traffic in the village

Debbie Lewis works at the Swan pub in Parson Drove, which is very close to the diversion.

"It does affect trade here, with the diversions and road closures.

"A little diversion can take you on an extra six-mile journey and then you might find the road is not closed anyway", she said.

Lewis said a relative came to visit her and was "totally confused" by the signs.

"It took my mother-in-law an hour longer to get to my house, there are so many signs and it is not at all clear where you should actually go", she added.

John Devine/BBC A crossroads on a junction in Parson Drove village, a yellow diverted traffic points right while further up the road a similar yellow diversion sign is pointing left, in between the signs there is a further yellow sign that reads 'diversion ends'. Some houses can been seen in the background.John Devine/BBC
Debbie Lewis also says that a road marked "closed" is sometimes passable despite the signage

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: "We have been carrying out work in Parson Drove since 28th September to replace ageing water pipes and help provide a more reliable water supply for local customers.

"We understand concerns about the diversion signage and have contacted our operational teams to review the arrangements and ensure the signage is clear and coherent for motorists."

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