Residents are worried about city council plans to reverse traffic along two Winchester streets.

Public pressure forced civic chiefs to carry out further consultation with residents before embarking on an 18-month experiment to reverse the flow in Parchment Street.

The measure aims to stop it being used as a rat-run by over 2,000+ vehicles a day.

Now, the council is proposing to reverse the flow on Middle Brook Street, too and urging cabinet members to back the move at a meeting on Monday. However, residents say this will create a new short-cut from the city centre to North Walls and still create noise and pollution problems.

The reversal of flow on Middle Brook Street would only apply north of Cossack Lane, thus preventing direct access from North Walls or Friarsgate.

Dr Chong-Yee Khoo, of Middle Brook Street, said: "Traffic would cause the same congestion, environmental and noise pollution and detriment to safety as presently exists on Parchment Street.

"Any proposal to resolve problems on Parchment Street arising from its use as a short-cut should not involve creating a new rat-run on Middle Brook Street."