NATIONAL Grid was in the line of fire this week as a Low Town hotelier complained about the front of his business being blocked off because of ongoing gas works. And there were more concerns as it was revealed that a pensioner had been struck although thankfully uninjured by a bus trying to negotiate the narrow corner from Underhill Street onto the bridge.
“In addition to constant noise, dust and fumes, access to the hotel frontage was blocked off, preventing any unloading of goods or luggage by visitors to us,” said Rob Weston, owner of the Severn Arms Hotel.
Mr Weston complained about the blockage on Friday which remained over the weekend until Tuesday. “Where has there been negotiation with businesses before this work was undertaken and where has there been the offer of any compensation for the loss of trade?” he asked.
“We are told that this work, having started before Christmas, is likely to take a least a further four weeks,” said Mr Weston.
Kellie Lee, from the nearby Knickerbockers ice cream parlour, said that diversions should be operating along the bypass, especially for lorries, which had been going backwards and forwards to get past the temporary barriers. She revealed that a 78-year-old man had been knocked by a bus.
“If anything it¹s putting the safety of the workers at risk as the huge lorries negotiate the holes in the road. Low Town is more like a parking lot, instead of a picturesque area,” she claimed.
Jane Taylor, for National Grid, said that the work on laying the gas mains moved away from the Severn Arms and further down the street on Tuesday.
“One of the reasons that we have had a lot to do in Underhill Street was that we had a gas escape,” she explained.
“Businesses can contact us to make claims for compensation and we will look at them on an individual basis. We have spoken to HGV drivers and many of them need to cross the bridge to make deliveries in places like Highley.”