A DEMOLITION firm has apologised after the dramatic building collapse that sparked the closure of one of Southampton’s busiest roads.

Police and civic chiefs were forced to close Cumberland Place after part of Grosvenor House came crashing down on the pavement on Monday, narrowly avoiding cars driving past below, as reported by the Daily Echo.

Since then thousands of commuters have been facing traffic misery during morning and evening rush hour periods with cars diverted through otherwise quiet residential streets.

Roads surrounding the site were only reopened yesterday following initial fears the closure could go on through the weekend.

Now Wessex Demolition and Salvage, the company dealing with the removal of the building, has issued its “sincere apologies” and has pledged to do all it can to minimise inconvenience.

A spokesman said: “Wessex Demolition and Salvage Ltd would like to offer its sincere sympathy to all of Southampton’s residents and commuters affected by the problems with the site at Cumberland Place.

“We are still looking into what caused the structural failure and do not want to speculate before we have the conclusions of those investigations.

“In the meantime, we are working to ensure the site is made safe as soon as possible so the inconvenience caused can be minimized as much as possible.”