A SUDDEN road closure has cost one Whitecroft business dearly – a £4,000 loss in one day.
Since last summer when Severn Trent began work to install a £200,000 water pipe in the village there have been not only several diversions in place but a four-way traffic light system causing tailbacks.
But last Tuesday (January 21) motorists attempting to cross the Forest via Forest Road came to a grinding halt when the water board unexpectedly closed the road from Spring Meadow Road in Lydney to Parkend crossroads near The Fountain Inn.
The work to install the remaining 40 metres of pipe requires the road to remain shut because the pipe is buried beneath almost four metres of earth, which also accommodates other utility pipes.
However, depending on how the works progress, the road could remain shut until the end of February.
Manager at Dean Forest Tyres, Wayne Davies said: "The closure has hit the business really hard. The signs saying 'businesses open as usual' are a joke as the diversion signs in place take motorists towards Bream. We were down £4,000 in one day last week, and although Severn Trent said they would compensate us by paying us a percentage of our gross profit, that won't benefit us as we don't work our finances out like that.
"A lot of customers have been getting as far as the sign saying road ahead closed and have turned away and gone somewhere else. It's a serious problem for our business – I fear this could break us."
The road is the latest to close as New Road remains shut between Parkend and Cannop Ponds while emergency drainage and carriageway repair work is carried out. The road surface which has slightly slipped due to the prolonged bad weather is expected to be repaired by the end of the month.
In the meantime, motorists travelling from the north to the south of the Dean face further disruption as they are diverted via Speech House and Bream to Lydney.
One motorist, who didn't wish to be named, told the Review: "This is an appalling state of affairs. My journey from Lydbrook to Lydney used to take 20 minutes but now it takes me up to an hour as I have to go via Yorkley and Primrose Hill.
"Why couldn't Severn Trent have applied some joined up thinking and coordinated all these works?"
HGV's are encouraged to use the B4223, B4228, B4226 and B4234 (Lydney to Cannop via Coleford) to avoid them using unsuitable roads out of Whitecroft. Access is maintained to Whitecroft for light vehicles only.
A Severn Trent spokesperson says: "We're very sorry that New Road in Whitecroft and Parkend has had to be closed longer than we originally expected, during work to replace the water pipes in the area. We understand how much disruption this can cause and are doing everything we can to try to make sure we can now complete the work by the end of February, so that the road can be re-opened.
"Unfortunately, due to an oversight, there weren't any signs up on the road prior to the work. There was also a short period after we closed the road when there wasn't a diversion route in place. We're sorry if any confusion was caused by the lack of signage and during the short time that there was no diversion. However, as soon as we realised what had happened the road was re-opened until a diversion route was put in.
"We've also been working closely with the local community, including businesses, to tell them exactly what we will be doing and try to minimise the impact of the work on them. When the work has been finished, they should feel the benefit for years to come, with a more reliable water supply."