By Bridie Adams

BUSINESSES in a Herefordshire village say they have lost huge amounts of customers due to a “confusing” road closure.

The Mill Race pub and the Walford Timber yard, in Walford near Ross-on-Wye, are open for business as usual but say that customers have been “put off” visiting the area because of a lack of clear diversion signage on the B4234.

Gosia Knights, who runs the Mill Race, said: “The road closure is literally killing us slowly. We were given ten days’ notice about the road closure via a flyer – we were not even told in person. I just started crying when I saw it. We have literally been begging for some financial support, but the council can’t give us any support as they have no funding available for business grants.

“People are so confused with diversions that they choose not to come in this direction. We should be trading at 110 per cent in this weather but we are on our knees.”

Another business hit by the road closure is Walford Timber, which is offering free delivery within a 20-mile radius of its yard for the duration of the closure.

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George Smith, managing director at Walford Timber, said: “We are now doing a lot more deliveries to mitigate the problem, which is an added cost as delivery is free for anything from a pack of screws to a large timber order. We have a crucial few weeks for sales in summer each year, and this road closure has happened during those weeks. We know the work needs to be done, but we believe it could have been done in January or February, when we and the Mill Race had a quieter period.”

The Mill Race estimates that it has lost 80 per cent of its business since the road closure began, while Walford Timber’s on-site sales are down 40 per cent compared to this time last year.

The road closure is in place on the B4234 between Walford and Kerne Bridge. The Mill Race and Walford Timber are both urging their customers to approach them from Ross-on-Wye, which is around three miles away, instead of from the Forest of Dean, while the closure is in place.

There are signs reading “Road ahead closed” and “Business open as usual” between Ross-on-Wye and Walford, however the closure does not take effect until drivers reach the other side of Walford Timber, near Kerne Bridge.

The road closure is due to the collapse of a steep bank along the stretch of road and works by CAN Geotechnical Ltd were commissioned by a third party. The Hereford Times contacted CAN Geotechnical Ltd and has not received a response at the time of publication.

Walford Parish Council have confirmed that the work on the bank is now complete, and Balfour Beatty will resurface the road before it reopens.

Herefordshire Council declined to comment.

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