Part of a busy Watford road has shut for emergency works after it was swamped by flooding that "hugely" impacted a nearby school.

The stretch of Vicarage Road between Laurance Haines School and the Harwoods Recreation Ground was closed at midday today (September 30) by Hertfordshire Highways following heavy rains last week and over the weekend.

Holywell councillor Nigel Bell has called for “urgent” action by the county council as he said the large pool of water is forcing residents to climb the fencing to get around it.

Residents have been forced to climb on the fence to get around the floodwater.Residents have been forced to climb on the fence to get around the floodwater. (Image: Cllr Nigel Bell) He said: “It has flooded a few times in recent months but not as bad as this. There has always been an issue there and it needs to be sorted out.

“If there's no rain for the rest of the day it will go down but that's no good. With the amount of continual rain we've been having over the last week, it needs to be sorted.

Holywell Labour councillor Nigel Bell said: There has always been an issue there and it needs to be sorted out.Holywell Labour councillor Nigel Bell said: There has always been an issue there and it needs to be sorted out. (Image: Cllr Nigel Bell) “Anybody older can't get through and you've got nurses and people going up to the hospital who need to walk down there.”

He warned the situation was "dangerous" as drivers coming from the western end of Vicarage Road cannot see the flood before they get over the crest of the hill. 

The closure has been listed until October 14, although the works are not likely to take that long as three pumping lorries reportedly visited this afternoon.

Laurance Haines headteacher Jo Ball said: “The flooding has caused a considerable disruption to our children and families.

“We have used our staff to mitigate the risks and support the flow of traffic but it has had a huge impact. We need the council to act quickly to keep the community safe.”

Pupils face a 20 minute diversion to get around the flooded section.Pupils face a 20-minute diversion to get around the flooded section. (Image: Google Maps) The flooded section means children walking to the school from the west side of Vicarage Road have to take a 20-minute detour (on foot) via Tolpits Lane, according to Google Maps.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “We were made aware of a flooding issue at this location at the start of last week. We are responding to keep residents and road users safe, and once the water has subsided we will be carrying out drainage investigations.

“We have an annual programme of cleaning out highway drains, however when there is sudden very heavy rain of the sort we have seen over the last week, the ground can become saturated and drainage systems can be temporarily overwhelmed.”

They encouraged residents to report blocked drains or flooding online at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/highwayfaults to see how recently they have been cleaned.