Road closures have turned area into 'ghost town' - traders

Road closures have turned a Nottinghamshire shopping street into a "ghost town", traders say.

High Road, in Chilwell, was closed for several weeks on 5 August so gas works could take place.

Business owners claim drivers have become confused over signs that are "not leading customers where they need to go".

Gas company Cadent, which is carrying out the works, said it "understands the frustrations" caused and that it was keen to work with affected residents and business owners.

Danni, owner of the Cob Inn food shop in Beeston, said: "It's a nightmare. The sales have taken a downturn of about £1,400 over the two weeks.

"The road is like a ghost town along this little stretch here, all the businesses are saying the same thing - that it's quiet as hell.

"My issue is that the road signs out there are telling everybody that the road is closed is all the way from Middle Street down to Cator Lane.

"You can drive all the way down this street to the very end and turn right and get through so why they’ve put these signs to say its closed I have no idea.

"I'm not making a profit at the moment I haven't taken wages since we've opened, so it's week-on-week trying to scramble the money together."

Kirk Mayfield, owner of Full Steam Ahead in Beeston, said customers were ringing him about the road signs.

"The signage on the roads are just not leading customers down to where they need to be. They're very confused," said Mr Mayfield.

"They're ringing me up saying, 'how do I get to you?'

"So I'm having to explain to them, 'forget the signs - just come to me'."

Matthew Slack, executive chef consultant at Tony's Bar and Grill in Beeston, added: "We've been closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but like today, there are hardly any cars going past at all and there's no footfall whatsoever and it's just pretty dead."

A Cadent spokesperson said: "The existing pipes are decades old, and so they need to be replaced as soon as possible to prevent us from having to carry out emergency works in the area.

"In order to ensure that our engineers are able to carry out the works as safely as possible, we have put advance road signs in place.

"If these signs are affecting businesses, then we will review whether we can do anything to alleviate the issue, so long as this remains within our safety framework.

"Cadent operates within a loss of business compensation policy and so we are unable to comment on individual cases.

"Whilst I understand the frustrations that are felt, I want to thank the whole community for their patience and understanding."

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