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Huge loss in profits

From the Camborne Packet, first published Wednesday 12th Jul 2006.

TRADERS in Camborne say they have lost thousands of pounds in business because of road works which have been going on for over ten months.

The works have been carried out on Church Street and College Street as public realm improvements to the town. It is hoped to boost the appearance of the area and make it more attractive for shoppers, residents and traders as well as visitors and investors.

But several traders, including Jane and Shaun Edwards, landlords of The Plough Inn on College Street and manager of the neighbouring Co-op store, Peter Teal are angry at how long the works have taken and how much it has cost them in business.

Jane Edwards, of The Plough Inn, said: "We have been losing six to eight thousand pounds a month while these road works have been going on. We are now selling the lease on the pub."

Peter Teal, manager of the Co-op store, said: "It has been a loss making store since the road works started. Between January and March the store made a loss of around £13,000.

"A lot of people were not sure if the pub and shop were even open most of the time as they could not get to them because of the works."

Since the work was finally coming to an end last week the pub and shop have seen a rise in their business but for Jane and Shaun Edwards the damage has already been done.

Shaun said: "We hardly had any Easter and Christmas trade, which are our busiest times of the year. There has also been an unbelievable amount of disruption with the works.

"On occasions the work would start at 3.15am, and as we work in a pub we don't often get to bed very early. We have not slept properly for months because of the disruption and the worry."

The traders said they were in support of the work in principal but were not happy with the way things were being done.

The pub landlords were also concerned about the pedestrian crossing which has been moved to directly outside of the pub door.

Jane Edward said: "The crossing could be very dangerous with potentially drunk people around they could step out of the pub and get hit by a car."

George Le Hunt, chairman of the Camborne Chamber of Commerce, said: "Trade has been generally reduced throughout Camborne because of these works and people are stopping coming to the town.

"Sadly some traders have suffered more than others but what we need to do now is get them back on track and encourage people to come back to the town."

Mike Peters, of county highways, said: "It was not our intention to hinder businesses in Camborne but there was a time limit on the work by the funders, not the council or the designers.

"There was notification of a consultation before the work started that was sent to everybody in the area and designs posted, so why didn't anyone complain before the work started?"

He added: "The crossing was going to be put in Wellington Road but research showed that more people needed assistance crossing College Street. It is the responsibility of drivers to stop for pedestrians on crossings so people should be safe whether they are drunk or sober."

The majority of the work was completed last week, but a small area outside of the pub and shop has now been dug up again, this time to replace a bicycle stand.

Jane Edwards said: "We thought they had finished and now this. I have never seen the bike stand being used for bikes, most people just tie their dogs up to it."

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