Roadworks are killing our trade, say Bilston business owners furious at six week delays

Traders say they have already lost thousands of pounds in business since work started on 300m section of Coseley Road at the start of September.

The work, which has seen the road sealed off at the Black Country Route while contractors fit new water and gas mains and create a new junction, was set to finish on November 2.

But businesses already suffering from a crippling loss in trade are now facing up to a further six weeks of misery after it emerged Seven Trent was a month late in completing its part of the scheme.

James Fellows, who runs J&T Autos on Broad Lanes with his father Jim, said he was 'shocked and disgusted' that the work would go on for almost twice as long as planned.

His trade has been halved by the road closure, and this week the entrance to his MOT site was blocked by diggers for two days while contractors tore up the road, he said.

"Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse this happens," added Mr Fellows, aged 26, from Coseley.

"My passing trade has been completely killed anyway but this has got ridiculous. It's come at the worst possible time. Christmas is a quiet time for us so we usually have to get as much work in as we can in the weeks leading up to it.

"This week I've had contractors repairing the road right in front of the MOT centre. They gave me no prior warning and at one point they were reversing diggers onto my property.

"I had to close the gates to stop them from doing it."

Mr Fellows said his business, which has been at the site for 25 years, usually does around 12 MOTs a day. He said the figure has been slashed in half since the work started, with his loss in trade estimated at around £7,000.

"I'm doing about two MOTs a day at the moment," he added. "I've had to put a sign up further up the road telling people we are still open just to try and draw a few customers in.

"I understand the work needs to be done but there has been no concern for the businesses down here at all."

Billy Singh, who runs Sai's Convenience Store on Broad Lanes, said the work had been 'a nightmare'.

"Our business relies on passing trade and it's pretty much all gone," the 32-year-old from Bilston said.

"They put a sign up last week saying the work was going to be extended but then it was taken down the next day.

"I feel like I'm standing here wasting electricity. You look at what they're doing around here and it's complete madness. When it's all finished we'll have three roundabouts one after the other.

"They're turning the place into Spaghetti Bilston."

Bosses at the Lodge Tyre Company on Broad Lanes said the firm had seen a 'massive' drop in trade, with the added misery of delivery trucks being unable to get to their site.

The closure has meant there is no access to the road from the Black Country Route, while diversions are in place taking drivers on a mile-long trek through an industrial estate.

"The only way people can access this place is to come down from the Birmingham New Road and there are weight restrictions on some of the bridges," said assistant manager Phil Carter, from Birmingham.

"It means we either can't get stock deliveries or drivers are having to go all the way round the Wrekin. Our roadside service has also been hammered.

"We've got four vans parked up here that would usually be out working."

KC Autos said they were relying on business coming in via the phone while the work dragged on.

Mechanic Zak Wadley, 19, said: "Our passing trade has been hit because we're not getting the numbers of people driving down here."

Wolverhampton council spokesman Oliver Bhurrut said: "All the utilities companies involved in the work have been doing everything they can to minimise disruption during these essential works.

"The Severn Trent delay means we have no option to extend the Coseley Road works in order to complete the new road junction.

"We are mindful of the impact on businesses and residents in the area and can assure them once the construction contractors have again taken over from the utilities companies on site they will be working as speedily as possible to get the job done."

Council bosses have said that the Bilston Urban Village project will form a key part of wider regeneration plans across Wolverhampton.