Trade suffers from Sedgley roadworks

Sedgley town centre trade has fallen by almost a third since a month-long roadworks scheme started.

A £1million four-week gas main replacement by National Grid forced closure of sections of High Street.

These were at its junction with Bilston Street. Traders say customer numbers are significantly down because people are being turned off by delays on congested surrounding streets.

Daniel Price, who runs the BD Price bike shop, in High Holborn, told of how traders are trying their best to weather the storm.

He said: "We calculate that trade was down at least 30 per cent last week and already this week we are looking at being down around 25 per cent on what we would normally take.

"People who want specific things from us are still coming down but anyone just out shopping is certainly thinking again before coming into the town.

"We are just having to ride it out at the moment but it is tough."

National Grid bosses called the works would be "a short-term inconvenience for a long-term benefit."

But traders estimated the scheme would cost them thousands of pounds in lost revenue during one of their busiest periods.

Allan Evans, director of Gould's Electrical in Bilston Street, said: "It is causing us a lot of grief and it is bad, because we won't know the true extent until the end of the month when we calculate our earnings but we have definitely been affected."

Mill Bank will be closed for two days on Sunday and Monday.

From August 22, one lane will be closed on Dudley Street heading out of town between Bull Ring and Vicar Street.

Road resurfacing will continue on Wordsley high street and Lawnswood Road on Sunday.

But Wordsley Councillor Geoff Southall insists that works should always try to be scheduled to cause least disruption to traders and residents.

He added: "There will also be disruption for roadworks but in Wordsley luckily it has been confined to Sundays."