A Nailsworth trader has slammed the authorities behind repairs to a road in the town, which has seen his business lose around £15,000.
George Street was due to close overnight for three nights for resurfacing work in mid-April. More than a month later, it is yet to reopen after a digger damaged a gas main during road resurfacing work.
Business owners now say footfall and sales have plummeted since the April 14 closure.
Christo Archer who runs the Waterloo House bar in George Street told Stroud Times footfall is down by 60 per cent: “We’ve had two cancellations. We lost about £15,000 in trade and that hasn’t come from the back of my sofa. It’s hard to find that and rustle that up again.”
George Street was due to reopen last Wednesday after nearly a month of disruption, but contractors for Gloucestershire Highways were forced to down tools last night after concrete laid by Wales & West Utilities started to crack.
VIDEO: Watch Christo Archer discuss the business implications following the lengthy road closure
Despite his efforts, a frustrated Mr Archer insists communication with the Gloucestershire County Council and Wales & West Utilities has fallen on deaf ears.
He added: “We’re heading into the fifth week. It’s been poor communication from day one. A gas leak was struck – these things happen. No one’s taking any responsibility from Gloucestershire Highways or from Wales and West Utilities despite many emails, many calls.
“It’s quite a sad situation – no-one is holding their hands up to say sorry.”
Stuart Meddick Wales & West Utilities Senior Performance Manager for Stroud, responded to Mr Archer’s gripe, saying: “We had been working in the George Street area of Nailsworth to repair a gas pipe following damage caused by third-party contractors resurfacing the road.
“This has been an extremely challenging repair and we do appreciate the inconvenience that has been caused.
“We have now completed our final stage of the work and last night (11 May), we handed the road back over to the local authority so that they can complete the resurfacing work they were already undertaking.
“We have been in liaison with some businesses who have enquired about compensation linked to loss of business. Compensation in these circumstances can be applied for under the relevant statutory regulations that we must adhere to. In this case, businesses will be entitled to make a claim under the regulations to establish if their circumstances qualify for compensation and we have already been in contact with some businesses to advise them of this.
“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by this challenging repair and thank local people for their patience.”
A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We carried out a site inspection today (Monday) following the completion of the Wales & West works and can confirm the defective concrete has been now replaced. We are now able to carry out preparatory works this evening (Monday) and resurfacing tomorrow night (Tuesday) , with the aim of reopening the road on Wednesday morning.
“There will also be a short closure on Wednesday evening while lining works are carried out and the road will then be fully open. We would like to thank residents and traders again for their patience and understanding during these works.”
