A CHESTER hairdresser claims roadworks yards from his salon door have ruined his life.
Tim Cracknell, of Timothy Cracknell Hairdressing, says he hasn’t seen a client since work began to replace gas mains outside his salon on Hoole Lane.
The father-of-three is also concerned that the lives of his daughters are at risk, with an ‘open gas main’ just three feet from their bedroom above the shop.
Tim said: “There are signs around the site saying: ‘No Smoking’ and ‘Danger’ yet my kids are supposedly safe to sleep right next to it.’
“These works have ruined my business and my personal life.
“No-one can get near the salon to park, even if they could find their way around the diversion, and there is drilling all day.
“People come to the hairdressers for a treat – they don’t want to have that noise going on all the time.”
Mr Cracknell and neighbouring businesswoman Ena Parkinson, of Ena Parkinson Rentals, say that neither received any notification of the start of the works, which began on Monday, March 5.
Work was due to be finished by last Monday, April 2, but contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that a two-week extension is required ‘due to issues surrounding how the connections are to be done in this street’.
A statement from the firm said that the mains replacement work is not dangerous.
It reads: “Our teams work to the highest safety standards while carrying out works and Balfour Beatty has a Zero Harm target across all of its operations worldwide.”
Spokesman James Merrylees confirmed that letters are normally sent to businesses in advance of major works but could not confirm whether it happened on this occasion.
