TRADERS were celebrating today after roadworks outside their shops which have caused weeks of traffic chaos were completed ahead of time.

Yorkshire Water finished the work in Bishopthorpe Road, York, a week early, after closing the road for five weeks to mend a broken sewer pipe.

Closing the road has meant daily bumper-to-bumper traffic and complaints from frustrated commuters and traders, while local residents have complained about rat-running.

Joyce Willis, owner of the Secret Garden florist shop, said: "I'm so pleased it's reopened and ahead of time too. Hopefully things can now get back to normal.

"My trade has been halved during the time the road has been closed and I've lost thousands of pounds, which I fully intend to try and claim back."

Yorkshire Water's David Parkin said the work was part of a five-year programme of improvements being carried out across the city.

"We do apologise to people for all the inconvenience this work has caused, but it was unavoidable," he said.

"The sewer was around 80 per cent collapsed and causing sewage to back up into adjoining properties, so something had to be done.

Mr Parkin said that the recent wet weather had swelled the river and backed up the sewers, flooding the hole and making work impossible on some days. But despite this, it had still been finished ahead of schedule.

Stuart Partington, a street works engineer with City of York Council, said they had received a lot of complaints.

Last week, the Press reported that residents from the Nunnery Lane area discussed at a meeting whether the route through the St Benedict's estate, near Bishopthorpe Road, should be temporarily closed at its Victoria Street entrance.

Worried locals complained that the quiet estate had been hit with heavy traffic during the major roadworks. They feared schoolchildren crossing roads were being put in danger, and youngsters used to playing in the street might run out and be hurt.

Keith Chapman, chairman of the Nunnery Area Residents' Association, said: "I think it's a miracle that we haven't had an accident."

Leaflets circulated in the area gave residents their say on whether the route should be temporarily closed to traffic, and the matter was again put to the vote. But the majority felt that the route should not be shut off.

Updated: 10:06 Tuesday, April 25, 2006