A CARER has claimed Worcester City Run marshals refused to allow her and her colleagues to cut through road closures so they could help clients.

Twenty-six roads were shut across the city between 8am and 3pm on Sunday to ensure the safety of runners taking part in the half marathon and 10k race.

Claire Wall said she was stopped from passing through the barriers by marshals, meaning she was late administering clients’ medication, including one who has epilepsy.

However, race organiser Events of the North has said its marshals would not refuse carers access during the closures and said they liaise with all such services weeks in advance.

Miss Wall, 30, said at one stage she and other domiciliary carers had to abandon their cars and walk 20 minutes to reach a client.

She said marshals told them only ambulances were allowed through, despite the fact they had medical IDs.

Miss Wall, who lives in Worcester and has worked as a carer for nine years, preferred not to give the name of the care service she works for or the exact locations of her appointments.

She said: “Nobody seemed to take into consideration the fact that more than just ambulances needed to get through.

“Without medication, some of these people could have ended up needing an ambulance anyway to take them to hospital.”

She said extra carers had been drafted in for the day as a precaution, with staff covering domiciliary care appointments across the county and beyond.

Allison Curbishley, director of Events of the North, said: “We, or our marshals, strive to ensure the integrity of the route for the competitors but are always mindful of individual resident needs during the duration of the event.

“We liaise with the Worcester Carers Association and other carers contacts we’re given by the council.

“The details of where carers need to access and at what times are noted and relayed to event control.”

She said marshals will then allow carers and others who need to pass through the blockades when it is safe to do so.

Miss Curbishley went on to say that road closure signs are put up in the affected areas in advance of the event, while residents receive leaflets detailing the closures and routes through the post.

This “usually triggers people to contact us to explain their situations” and “we will then work through a solution to cause as least disruption to their ‘usual’ Sunday as possible”.