Outraged traders say they are working in ‘torture’ as BT dig up their street again after damaging valuable stone during utility works.
The phone and broadband provider is carrying out the necessary work to repair York stone flags on Watergate Street after damaging them during previous roadworks.
But business owners and workers on the street say the conditions are ‘unbearable’ after days of constant drilling as workmen pull up the flags and cut up new slabs right outside their shops and galleries.
Traders have stressed that the street is ‘still open for business’ as they fear shoppers are staying away due to the barriers, workmen and constant drilling.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Alex Sharp, of Watergate Street Gallery, said the workmen were having a detrimental impact on their business, which had seen a 10-15% drop in profit compared to last year as people thought the majority of the street was closed.
“It is torture, we put up with this every year,” said Alex, who said the vans were parked in the gallery's parking area meaning customers and delivery drivers couldn’t pull up.
“It looks like the street is closed. We usually have a good first week in the New Year, but people are walking half way down the street and turning back.”
Alex said that none of the businesses in Watergate Street had been consulted or given warning about the works and had been given no time frame as to when the ‘nightmare’ would end.
“If we were given notice about these things we could prepare for them,” he said, adding that it would not be as bad if they were not digging it up to repair ‘shoddy’ work from last time round.
“You just learn to put up with these things in Chester.”
One hairdresser, who works at Gregory Roe, said that the works immediately outside their salon were ‘really noisy’ but that the salon was still open for business.
A BT spokesman, speaking on behalf of Openreach, the local network provider, said the work should be finished on Friday (January 16), saying: “There was some damage to the York stone flags on Watergate during road works.
“We are working closely with the council’s team to replace the flags and we will complete the work as soon as possible. It is regrettable when this type of repair is necessary but we are working hard to return the street to business as usual.”
