Shoppers are returning to Shirley High Street following months of disruptive water works but some fear heavy traffic drove loyal customers away and hit independents hard. He said: “Today is the first day that I’ve gotten a bus straight into Shirley; I was quite pleased it was open.” Patrick came into Shirley by bus for his daily shop to find it stopping right outside Sainsbury’s, instead of on Park Street where it stopped during Southern Water’s works. She said closures caused such horrendous traffic on Regents Park Road that many people stopped visiting the high street. Regent's Park Road saw heavy traffic over the months Southern Water carried out their work.