The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A businessman says he’s worried his car wash business will not survive the roadworks in and around Wardentree Lane.
Mohamed Khaled, of Pinchbeck Car Wash on Enterprise Way, says business is down “60 to 70 per cent” following the closure of that road at its junction with Spalding Road on Friday.
The length of closure has been extended and it’s not now scheduled to open until mid-October.
There are also traffic lights during daytime on Spalding Road as part of the work to build a roundabout for the most northerly section of the Spalding Western Relief Road.
Mr Khaled says he would normally wash around 30 cars a day and up to 50 and 60 on some days but that numbers were way down since Friday’s closure.
“I’ve contacted Lincolnshire County Council to ask what they can do for me as at the moment I’m going to struggle to pay my rent,” he said. “If it goes on like this by mid-October I’ll have lost everything. I’ve already less staff on.”
“People who have come to me have said it’s taken them 30 to 40 minutes to get through the traffic, the same as it takes them to get to Morrison’s.
“I’m a car wash which is obviously not as important as food and doesn’t have to be done every week.”
Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways, said: “We knew our relief road works would cause some disruption to the businesses along Enterprise Way, especially when it came time to implement traffic management so the new roundabout could be built.
“That’s why we’ve made sure our contractor has been in regular contact with the businesses here since the project started earlier this year.
“However, as the Highways Authority, the county council has no power to grant compensation for financial loss incurred because of traffic restrictions for roadworks.
“We ask anyone concerned about the Enterprise Way closure, and our relief road works generally, to contact Eurovia’s public liaison officer to discuss how else we can help.”
