A ROMSEY pensioner has blasted plans for The Hundred to remain closed to traffic, insisting her street has become a rat run since the main road shut.

Carol Fowler, who lives in Portersbridge Street, said at peak times in the day cars are spotted driving past her house "every minute", claiming this has happened for six months now.

The Hundred closed to traffic on July 1 in a bid to help people socially distance by providing more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

The 78-year-old complained because the pavement separating her house from the road is "around 50cm" wide she is forced to wait for cars to pass before she can safely exit her home.

Carol stressed she wants The Hundred to reopen again in a bid to significantly reduce congestion in her street.

She said: "I am absolutely in favour of The Hundred reopening, because at peak times there a lot of cars going past my house every minute or so, and the pavements are too narrow for the level of traffic we are enduring.

"I must have emailed ten people at the county council over six months since they closed The Hundred, because we have such a narrow pavement measuring around 50cm and I have to stand there waiting for a gap before I can get out of the door.

"It is unsafe and the pavement gets narrower further down the road towards Latimer Street, so it feels very much like a rat run.

"When The Hundred was open we got a certain amount of traffic, but most of it went down The Hundred, and now they have only closed off about 100 metres, so how that can possibly make any difference is a mystery to me."

Carol added she has put up with a cough for three months, believing fumes emitting from more cars have seeped through her home.

She explained: "Since I have been sitting in the house more I have had a cough that has lasted for about three months, because you cannot block every single crevice in a Georgian house.

"It is ridiculous that someone who lives in the middle of Romsey has to be subjected to this level of pollution, because The Hundred has to be closed."

HCC has been contacted for comment.

As reported, Portersbridge Street could now be turned into a one way system as part of an online consultation launched by Hampshire County Council (HCC) to improve The Hundred’s temporary closure.

This means drivers will only be able to enter Portersbridge Street from Latimer Street before exiting onto Church Street. 

Some outraged residents vented their thoughts on Facebook in light of the proposals to keep The Hundred shut, believing congestion will spill into Cherville Street and Greatbridge Road if the plans are given the green light.

But, others praised the idea for making the town more attractive in the future.

The plans would see the red and white barriers removed and replaced with planters where the Market Place and The Hundred meet to help narrow the road.

The consultation on the plans will run until midnight Sunday, March 14.