INTENSIFIED fighting between Syrian government forces and Western-backed insurgents around Aleppo has severed the only road allowing access for humanitarian aid deliveries, United Nations spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said yesterday.

She explained that the Castello road has been rendered “impassable” since hostilities there worsened last week.

The UN estimates that 300,000 people depend on the road, which allows the flow of supplies, goods and civilians into the area.