A STAGECOACH bus caused chaos in town on Tuesday when it broke down on The Butts bridge roundabout.

The incident, which occurred at around 4pm, blocked the road into and out of town, causing early rush-hour traffic to grind to a halt and to find alternative routes to access areas to and from the south of Alton.

While the bus was eventually towed away to the garage, drivers spent over an hour using residential roads to cut across town, among them Queen’s Road which is narrow with a significant on-street parking problem, and currently subject to roadworks.

According to one resident, the work by I&G Contractors on behalf of gas company SGN (formerly Southern Gas Networks) is on both sides of the road, with a narrow chicane to allow vehicular access. It has already been going on for almost three weeks and, while understanding the need for the work, to upgrade ageing pipework, the frustration is that work appears spasmodic.

It was the final straw, however, when drivers, travelling in both directions and often unwilling to give way, tried to use the road as a way of getting into or out of town on Tuesday. It did, however, serve to highlight the inappropriate use of Queen’s Road as a cut through.

“It was sheer chaos,” said the man.

In a statement, SGN spokesman Katie Lobban said: “We have been working to upgrade the gas network in Queen’s Road, Alton. This work involves replacing the old, metal gas mains with new plastic pipe which will ensure a continued safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.

“All being well, our work will be complete and the road surface will be restored by the end of next week.”

She added: “We are aware this is a narrow, busy route and would like to thank road users and local residents for their continued patience while we carry out this essential work.”

No-one from Stagecoach Southern was available to comment on the bus breakdown at the time of going to press.