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Rugeley roadworks near completion

Roadworks that have caused chaos in a Staffordshire town for the last 10 months will finally be completed next week, it has been announced - five months later than planned.

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Since the work in Rugeley started last October traders say their profits have plummeted with shoppers and motorists avoiding the town.

The £500,000 scheme centres on Horse Fair and Wharf Road, which is the main gateway to the town.

The carriageway is being reduced to single-lane traffic, traffic lights are being replaced with roundabouts and parking spaces are being created within a central reservation.

But the project has been plagued with problems - including incorrect signage going up, wrong curbstones being delivered, and a damaged BT box delaying work.

At least 20 businesses have said they are fearing for their future after trade was hit. And though they have welcomed the end of the work, they are worried they will not be able to recover.

Vice-chairman of Rugeley Traders Association Angi Cooney, who runs C Residential estate agents, said: "The businesses are now just trying to repair the damage that has been done, pick ourselves up and move on."

See also: Anger at £500,000 roadworks in Rugeley.

But traders say they could struggle to recover.

Ian Hodgson, who runs Blueprint Designs, said: "There needs to be a major inquest into what happened. We thought it would be finished by May.

"It will take months to get people back into the town."

Andy Knowles, who runs Ann Murray dry cleaners in Anson Street with wife Jan, said: "We went through the recession and the then for two years slowly saw business build up but now it has evaporated away. We have customers phoning up and apologising, saying they are fed up of being stuck in the roads works and battling to find a parking space."

Staffordshire County Council's economy leader Mark Winnington said: "Regenerating our town centres is a vital part of our continued economic growth and the Horse Fair improvements will help to make Rugeley a more attractive place to shop, visit and invest in. We have consulted with people and local business from the outset and had to get the balance right between incorporating people's views and delivering a scheme which will provide real long-term benefits to Rugeley.

"We have made a significant investment and are pleased to see the completion of the scheme. We would like to thank people for bearing with us while the work has been carried out."

Traders also face more disruption next year when the Horse Fair will be resurfaced as part of scheduled works which will be completed over a few days and work on Wharf Road shall be undertaken to complete the project and complete the link between the town centre and the railway station.

The work was postponed until the development site is complete, to prevent the resurfaced road from being damaged.

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