 Buses will have to take diverted routes for the next month |
Bus services for hundreds of passengers will be disrupted for a month after steps were taken to stop rat-running. A temporary road closure was brought in on Wednesday on the Beansheaf estate in Reading, Berkshire, amid concerns that car drivers were using the bus route.
Last week, West Berkshire Council sparked anger when it gave just 24 hours notice of closing The Chase.
It was forced to keep the road in Calcot open then but has now closed it for safety measures to be put in place.
 |  (Rat-running) presents a serious threat to public safety on the estate |
Buses, which serve Little Heath and Theale Green schools, will be diverted while The Chase is closed off at the bus gate where it joins Pollards Way.
A council spokesman said the closure had to be done "in the interests of public safety".
He added: "Residents on the Beansheaf estate have become very concerned that cars are ignoring the bus only signs and rat-running illegally along The Chase to avoid having to use the A4.
"This presents a serious threat to public safety on the estate and, as a result, the road is being temporarily closed.
"The aim is to re-open it within four weeks once other measures to stop cars rat-running are in place."
The council will be repairing "sump-breakers", designed to allow access for buses while stopping other vehicles from entering the road, which were recently vandalised.
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