Apology after extended closure of town centre road

One business said the lack of access to the area had caused trade to "fall off a cliff"

A council and developer have apologised after extending a temporary road closure in a Rutland town.

Rutland County Council said Brooke Road in Oakham, which has been closed since July, will now remain so until 30 November.

The authority said there had been "significant issues" outside the control of developer Burmour Construction Ltd, which is building 40 homes.

Businesses said the road closure had badly hit their trade.

'Vanished trade'

Debbie Oakes, who runs clothes and gift shop, Snapdragon in Mill Street, said: "The closure is having a catastrophic impact.

"In recent months trade has fallen off a cliff. On one day last week, my takings were £10.

"A lot of customers to businesses around here drive in but they can't get to us. Passing trade has vanished because there is nowhere to pass too.

"We just want this to get sorted and the road to reopen as soon as possible."

Debbie Oakes said she was frustrated with the situation

In a statement, the council said: "Both Burmor Construction Ltd and Rutland County Council apologise for the inconvenience that residents are experiencing because of the closure to Brooke Road.

"Efforts to carry out essential highway and utility works taking place as part of the Brooke Road allotments development have been severely disrupted by delays to tree felling and the discovery of various utility services in locations not shown on plans or formal records.

"This has required a complete redesign of kerb and drainage solutions for the development, as well as additional permits and approvals from utility companies. "More time is therefore needed to complete the works."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the developer hoped to partially reopen Brooke Road to pedestrians in November.