A restaurant owner says roadworks are damaging his business more than lockdown restrictions during the Covid pandemic.
Key routes to Colchester through the village of Earls Colne in Essex have been shut for several periods since February while Cadent Gas replaces century-old gas pipes.
Business owners have said the work is impacting livelihoods and has caused chaos with official and unofficial diversion routes in place.
Abdul Hamid, the owner of the Riverside Spice Indian restaurant, told the BBC he felt “as good as closed anyway”, adding: “I don’t know how long we can survive like this.”
Residents say the diversion routes are full of potholes and often put people off coming into the village [Jodie Halford/BBC]
Cadent Gas said it was replacing approximately 1km (0.6 miles) of gas pipes along Church Hill, Park Lane, Upper Holt Street, Colneford Hill, and Colne Park Road.
Work is slowly making its way down the village which means that certain roads have been closed at different times.
In the current phase of the project, Upper Holt Street is shut and Lower Holt Street has been closed since 23 February.
Hamid said he would normally manage a “bustling” Valentine’s Day with about 80 diners – but this year he took 22 bookings, and some did not attend.
He said that due to the roadworks, “a two-minute drive takes [clients] 25 to 30 minutes”.
Claire Smith said the roadworks has really affected footfall in the village [Jodie Halford/BBC]
Claire Smith, a property manager in Earls Colne, said the roadworks had caused traffic issues.
“People panic about how they are going to get to any other places,” she said.
“There’s been a lack of people coming into the village because they’re not sure how to get in and out.
“It’s a minefield.”
Ryan Martin, a used-car salesman, said diversions were on rural roads with pothole problems.
A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “As the local highways authority, we do not initiate or design utility works, but we ensure they are carried out safely and with minimal disruption.
“We would like to thank residents for their ongoing patience as this vital work is carried out.”
The works are expected to be completed by 25 March.
Amber Greensmith, head of customer experience at Cadent, said: “We are very conscious of the disruption roadworks cause and hope people understand this is necessary and essential work, to ensure everyone’s safety and maintain a reliable gas supply for your central heating systems.”
Local businesses have seen a reduction in footfall and problems with diversions across rural roads [Jodie Halford/BBC]
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