Businesses badly hit (From Stroud News and Journal)

Businesses badly hit

TRADERS in Stroud's Nelson Street are feeling the effects of Severn Trent's latest road closure.

The utility company has dug up the road to carry out sewer restoration work and cordoned off the street with a wire mesh cage.

But businesses are keen to remind shoppers the pavement is still open and they are very much open for business.

Graham Smith, owner of Smith's Traditional Fish and Chips, said things had been pretty bad since the work started and would have a major impact on the street's takeaways. "We do depend on a lot of car trade," he said.

"There is a compensation scheme but I imagine it's going to take some time before it kicks in.

"We can't even begin to make a claim before the work is finished."

He said businesses in Nelson Street suffered enough with the notorious 'Berlin Wall' at the top of the high street discouraging shoppers from coming any further up the hill.

"People get to the top of the high street and think there's nothing else here," he said. Mr Smith accepted the work had to be done.

"I suppose it will benefit everybody," he said.

"Perhaps they could have a few more people working on it to speed things up but I suppose they know what they're doing."

But Simon Jones of Trading Post was less happy with Severn Trent.

"Fridays and Saturdays are the days it's making the biggest difference," he said.

"Saturdays are usually really busy but we've seen trade drop off by about 50 per cent.

"It's not good. "And we've had no firm timescale to let us know how long it's going to take to sort it out.

"We've been told it could take anything from seven weeks to 18 months. "It's just silly."

He said there had been a lack of contact from the utility company and it was frustrating not being kept up to date with developments.

"On the positive side this is the best time of year for them to be doing it from this business's point of view," he added.

"This is usually a quieter time of year and there will soon be things to bring people back. "The Fringe Festival will pull people back into the street - there's going to be a stage up here from September 6 to September 8."

A spokesman from Severn Trent said engineers were being sent round all the businesses on Tuesday morning to bring traders up to date.

"There have been a few complications," she said.

"We found more concrete than was expected and it took a long time getting to the pipes.

"We know it is very frustrating for people but it's not something we could have foreseen.

"The work we are doing in Stroud is essential.

"A lot of the sewers are very old and in danger of collapsing so we are restoring them and making them safe."

It is estimated the work will take another four weeks to complete.