The first poles for the Borehamwood and Elstree eruv were installed this week, to the delight and relief of the area's two Orthodox communities.

If all goes to plan, the notional boundary allowing the carrying of certain items and the pushing of prams and wheelchairs on Shabbat and festivals will be operational by mid-summer.

And with more young families moving to the area, the completion of the project could not have come at a better time, says Borehamwood Synagogue rabbi Naftali Brawer. "The eruv will positively transform Jewish life in our community," he declared.

The eruv perimeter will cover most of the residential areas within Elstree and Borehamwood. Jo Grose, who is expecting her third child in mid-July, hopes the eruv will be up by then, "making a wonderful present for all of us".

Efrat Arnold, her friend and fellow Borehamwood Synagogue member, was also "very excited to see the eruv project coming to fruition. The eruv committee have worked very hard to get to this point. As a mother of two young children and a five-month-old baby, the completion of the eruv will fundamentally transform our lives on Shabbat. For the first time, we will be able to enjoy going out together as a family to shul, visit family and friends or even just take a walk to the park."

Ebor Eruv Trust chair Richard Kafton said the development was "the culmination of seven years of planning by a hard-working committee set up by the community's two Orthodox shuls".