Back to square one’ for Llandeilo traders (From South Wales Guardian)

Back to square one’ for Llandeilo traders

10:00am Saturday 22nd September 2012 in News

A LLANDEILO trader has claimed repeated disruption caused by traffic controls in the town is threatening his business.

The Trunk Roads Agency erected traffic lights at Bridge Street on September 3, following concerns over an unstable wall at the former King’s Head Hotel.

The move came just seven days after the completion of phase one of gas mains maintenance work that saw Bridge Street subjected to traffic controls for 11 weeks.

Fruit and veg seller Gerwyn Williams has said that during the gas mains work his Bridge Street business suffered a 90 per cent fall in retail trade.

“If we relied on the shop trade alone we would have gone out of business,” said Mr Williams.

“Nobody can stop outside my shop and it is massively affecting my business.

“Now these new lights have gone up and it has put us back to square one. It is absolute chaos here.

“They obviously knew about this wall weeks ago, so why didn’t they work on it when the first lights were up?”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Every effort is made to co-ordinate planned maintenance and roadworks to minimise disruption to local people and businesses.

“However, Carmarthenshire county council’s building control officer has determined a retaining wall at the former King’s Head Hotel to be dangerous.

Therefore, the council has erected the temporary signals for safety while the property owner’s structural engineer produces a design to rectify the situation.

“The council is also liaising with the landowner for remedial works to be carried out as soon as possible.”

Phase two of the gas mains maintenance work is scheduled to take place from January to March next year between the Carmarthen Road and New Road junctions, when WAG also plans to resurface Bridge Street.