Traffic now glides along the new tarmac of Sweet Briar Road more than three months after burst water main damaged the embankment below.

The stretch of the city ring road, which had been shut for 99 days, reopened at lunchtime on Friday much to the joy of city folk, business owners and commuters alike.

Ashley White, assistant manager of Jollyes pet food and accessories store in Sweet Briar Retail Park, said the road's closure had a big impact on the business.

"Where we'd normally have an influx of customers, there were times where there was pretty much no-one here," he said.

"Sweet Briar Road's reopening means that business will start picking up a bit more, especially with it being payday weekend.

"We were hit hard. It discouraged people from coming to this side of the city."

Darryl Eastell, who owns Plantmania at Hellesdon Barnes, is elated to be seeing the back of the diversions.

"I was one of the first ones to drive over it.

"It felt amazing, a lot quicker.

"May is my busiest month of the year. Sweet Briar Road did take the gloss off it somewhat. Footfall was down around 20pc.

"I'm very grateful to my regular customers who, even when held up for half an hour, still came to me. They kept us going."

Mile Cross' Labour councillor Chrissie Rumsby said: "This is a great relief to everyone in Norwich.

"Mile Cross has felt the brunt of the closure. Aylsham Road won't be so busy and people won't be rat-running on the roads as much.

"People can travel without fear of being stuck in traffic jams."

Wensum Labour councillor Maxine Webb added: "The reopening is brilliant news for the wider city.

"It's going to make a massive difference to businesses and the areas that have had that increased traffic.

"People will be glad to get to where they want to be without having to fight their way across the city.

"I'm just sorry that it's taken so long.

"It was a big piece of work, it has to be worth the wait. We've seen the impact it's had throughout the city."