FUMING Spalding Lifestyle boss Pete Vickers has stopped paying his business rates this month because he claims the county council is literally driving business away.
Roadworks at Pinchbeck Road and West Elloe Avenue junction in Spalding have all but stopped passing trade calling at his business next to the hospital because vehicles from Spalding to Pinchbeck are sent on a diversion from Pinchbeck Road via West Elloe Avenue, West Marsh Road and Wardentree Lane.
Spalding’s Park Road is another through route for traffic travelling from Winsover Road to Pinchbeck, but that too was shut on for part of Saturday and Sunday for level crossing works.
On Thursday and Friday motorists were confronted by a random set of traffic lights near Spalding Lifestyle and the hospital.
Mr Vickers said the lights appeared at breakfast on Thursday but no workmen turned up until 11am and, although they were gone by 3pm, the lights remained.
The lights were still causing traffic queues on Friday and Mr Vickers said there were no workmen in sight just after 11am.
He contacted county highways and was told it was a health and safety issue, but Mr Vickers said there were no workmen and the hole they dug was on the verge and not the road.
Mr Vickers said on Friday: “They (the county council) grant permissions willy nilly. Why can’t they co-ordinate things better?”
He said blue light ambulances were having to “beep” at queuing motorists to get them to move out of their way.
Mr Vickers said the county council should force utility companies to take lights off as soon as work is done and look at Spalding as a whole so businesses like his are not marooned.
He said Pinchbeck Road/West Elloe Avenue should have been a three-week job at most.
Speaking on Friday, he said: “For the last two Sundays they have been closing it completely. Sunday is the day I normally do any amount of business in the restaurant.”
The council didn’t respond, questions about co-ordinating roadworks, but said Western Power Distribution “did not inform us that they intended to use temporary traffic signals for these works (outside Spalding Lifestyle) or we may have asked them to use a different form of traffic management.”
A council spokesman added: “We are disappointed to hear that the temporary traffic lights were left on overnight when no work was taking place.”
l The hole was filled in at midday on Friday but the lights were still there until 4.30pm.