Market traders count cost of burst water main

Butcher Gary Burke claims the burst water main has cost him thousands in lost trade

Market traders in Grimsby say a burst water main is costing them thousands in lost takings.

The incident happened on 17 September at the junction of Freeman Street with Garibaldi Street.

Anglian Water apologised for the inconvenience caused, but said traders and shoppers should expect disruption for "the next couple of weeks" due to ongoing repairs.

Sean McGarel, general manager of Freeman Street Market, said: "Every business on the market has suffered."

The burst water main caused flooding in Freeman street and Garibaldi Street in Grimsby

With no water, the market was forced to close for a day but has since reopened.

Some traders said they had noticed a reduction in footfall due to the ongoing repairs.

Tony Kelsey, who runs Fruit World, said: "We're a third down in two weeks of takings, if not more".

Gary Burke, who owns Gary's Meats, said he too had been left out-of-pocket.

He said: "The first week hit us quite hard. We lost around £3,000 to £4,000."

Mr McGarel added: "The burst killed trade dead because we couldn't open [on 17 September].

"We suffered quite badly on the Friday and Saturday with the roadworks as far as footfall is concerned."

In a statement, Anglian Water said: “We are sorry for any traffic disruption on Freeman Street in Grimsby.

"We needed to close the road to enable our teams to repair a burst main in the area. We will need to keep the footpath closed while our teams carry out work to make the footpath safe to use again.

"This will remain closed for the next couple of weeks. We would like to thank customers for their patience as we get things back to normal."

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