DESPERATE shopkeepers in West Christchurch say protracted road works on the A338 spur road are bleeding them dry and are pleading for residents to rally to their aid.

They claim the car park at Marlow Drive shopping parade, in St Catherine's Hill, has emptied and sales have tumbled by 50 per cent since repair work began at the Blackwater Junction in September.

Now they are urging the town to "support us or lose us" amid fears their businesses will not survive the winter without the help of local residents.

Family butcher Robert Lambe, 55, whose father set up shop in the parade 36 years ago said: "It's a desperate situation. We understand the bridge needs to be repaired, but no one ever came here to discuss what the impact would be and what we could do to limit the damage."

Business in the parade was badly disrupted last year when Dorset County Council spent months building a cycle way along Hurn Road. But just as the parade started to recover. Work on the junction started and trade dried up again.

Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the shops, with seasonal sales keeping them going through the traditional January to March slump. But work on the roadworks is not scheduled to finish until mid December, leaving the traders with little time to make up lost profits.

Their appeals for compensation have landed on deaf ears and Dorset County Council has not given them any assurances that the work will be completed on time.

Head of highways Dave Gibb said: "Five weeks into these essential road works I'm pleased to say we're on track to complete all the works by early December as planned. In fact we're monitoring progress closely to see if we can complete some elements of the programme before that.

"In the meantime, although it might take people longer than usual to reach their destination, Christchurch and Bournemouth are still very much open for business, and I'm sure residents will continue to support local traders."

First published: Oct 11