Fears roadworks turning village into 'ghost town'

Concerns have been raised that a three-month period of roadworks has turned a village in Nottinghamshire into a "ghost town".

Lane closures have been put in place on both carriageways of the A52 between Gamston and Saxondale for gas works.

The work began on 12 January and is due to end on 3 April, but people in nearby Radcliffe-on-Trent said it has caused long delays, with business owners fearing it will hit trade.

Cadent Gas, which is carrying out the work, said it was aware of the disruption but added the project is essential to maintain a long-term safe gas supply.

Ricky Coxon lives in the centre of Radcliffe-on-Trent and said the village had been a "ghost town" since the works began.

"It adds a good 30 minutes on to a journey now, you can't just nip somewhere, you have to really think and plan where you're going."

He added: "My daughter lives in Nottingham city centre and she was going to visit us, but she decided not to because it would have taken her hours rather than a 20-minute bus journey."

Debra Glossop, who runs a boutique in Bingham Road, believes the roadworks are impacting her business.

She said: "Because I'm slightly out of the village, I get more drive in [customers] and of course if they can't drive in, they won't bother."

"It's frightening."

"This road's [usually] really busy and there's just nothing going past, it's terrible," she added.

Barber Hardi Alizada said his customers who travelled from Nottingham have told him they would not make the journey.

"It's affecting our business a lot, it's been really quiet since the traffic [works] happened. I hope they sort it as soon as possible."

"[Clients] message us and say, 'Sorry, it's heavy traffic, can't get to you so we'll go to a different barber'," he added.

"12 weeks is a long time, I'm afraid of it."

Chantel Litchfield said she was "counting down" to the completion of the works.

The managing director of a veterinary clinic in the village said her staff were regularly getting stuck in traffic and clients were cancelling appointments.

"A lot of us have children and we have to drop them off at a certain time," she said.

"I've tried two different routes and still get stuck, so I'm going to be 10, 15 minutes late now, every day."

"It takes me 20 minutes to get to work usually, now it's taking up to 50, and I'm down the road."

Bus operator Trent Barton, which runs services along the A52, also said there were "significant delays" on its routes, especially during rush hour.

Cadent Gas said 86% of homes in the area have gas central heating, and the upgrades will ensure gas can be "safely distributed to them for decades to come".

A spokesperson added: "We are very conscious of the disruption works like this cause and hope people can understand this project is essential to maintain a long-term safe gas supply."

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