Business owner slams decision to close road “without any warning”

A Pendle business owner has accused Lancashire County Council of leaving firms "completely in the dark" after roadworks forced access to an industrial estate, claiming businesses were given no warning before the closures came into force.

Peter Ratcliffe, owner of North Valley Forge, said the resurfacing works have effectively "shut seven businesses down", with customers unable to reach the site and deliveries disrupted. He claims the lack of communication has left firms facing avoidable financial losses and unnecessary uncertainty.

The works have affected businesses on an industrial estate off Reedyford Road, where Mr Ratcliffe around 8,200 people are employed across the seven companies.

“There's one or two people getting through if they insist that they're going to get through but it's affecting all these businesses and all these people and a little bit stressful really” Mr Ratcliffe said. “We wouldn't mind if we'd been spoken to or communicated with in any way shape or form but we haven't.”

Mr Ratcliffe stated that he attempted to contact Lancashire County Council via phone and briefly managed to speak to someone but was unable to get additional clarity on the road closures. However, the whole ordeal has been damaging financially, according to the business owner.

“It has cost quite a lot of money because customers can't get on (the site) and delivery wagons they can't get on (the site). As I say if we'd have been told we could have informed suppliers don't come on this day because of this or whatever you know what I mean. It just hasn't happened.”

The ordeal marks the second time that road closures have been in place around his business. The roads were initially blocked back in June and returned a month later, causing further disruption to his business. The lack of clarity has been something that has frustrated Mr Ratcliffe, who spoke with subcontractors on site and subsequently revealed they would return in a month’s time to topcoat the roads and were just working on the base this week.

“There's been all sorts of non-information. We got information from a sign on the road saying that the work was going to start on the 3rd. Then we got information saying work was going to start on the 6th and I spoke to them then and the lady at Lancashire County Council spoke to the work people department and they said no there's nothing going on till the 10th and I couldn't get any sense out of them at all,” Mr Ratcliffe added.

County Councillor John Clemson, lead member for highways and transport, Lancashire County Council, said:

"The closures on Reedyford Road and Barrowford Road are in place to allow surface dressing works to be completed safely. Surface dressing is a preventative maintenance treatment that helps protect road surfaces from water damage, improves grip and extends the life of the road, helping to reduce the need for more extensive repairs in the future.

"The temporary road closures were implemented through the appropriate legal process, with temporary traffic regulation orders (TROs) in place for the works.

"Every effort is made to minimise disruption and complete works as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of both the workforce and road users. We would like to thank residents and businesses for their patience while these essential works are carried out."