Club wants M4 weekend closure for power work moved

39 minutes ago

News image — The work will be to fix high-voltage wires across the M4 after the pylon problem in February

BBC A general view of two large cranes over a pylon that has been brought down. The M4 sign is visible behind it on a grey day. — The work will be to fix high-voltage wires across the M4 after the pylon problem in February

Reading FC has urged an electricity distributor to reschedule a planned motorway closure over fears it will delay fans and staff getting to one of its home matches.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said shutting the M4 near Reading next month was the "only safe, practical way" to run new high-voltage wires across it after a pylon was damaged in a storm in February.

The Royals said the closure would cause issues for those attending the League One match against Notts County on 20 September.

SSEN said it had approved the work, between junctions 10 (Winnersh) and 11 (Reading), before the club's fixtures were released in June.

The closure will start at 21:00 on 18 September and end at 06:00 on 21 September.

Reading's managing director Neil Peters accused SSEN of "poor planning" and said the closure would cause "an awful lot of issues for Reading Football Club to pick up."

He said SSEN had informed the club about the closure by phoning its ticket office and that there was no consultation with it before then.

Peters said he understood work on the pylon needed to be done before demand for electricity increased in October.

But he asked for SSEN to move work to the second or fourth Saturdays of September, when the Royals would be playing away at Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers respectively.

Getty Images A general view of the inside of the SCL Stadium in Reading, a large sports stadium with predominantly blue seats, pictured on a dull day. — Reading and Notts County fans will not be able use to stretch of the M4 before the game at the SCL Stadium in September

"I am sure they have mobilised teams and they have got things in place and a U-turn will be difficult work for them," Peters said.

"For the fans going to the game and for those who aren't going to the game, who are caught up in the same jams, I think making that U-turn is really important for the club and the wider community."

An SSEN spokesperson said: "Reading FC has shared its concerns with us, and we've offered to help them communicate to spectators on the need to consider the closure when planning journeys to the stadium, along with details of the diversions available.

"We're talking to the club directly to arrange a time for another meeting later this week."