'Continents move faster than town's roadworks'

Andy Keen says the roadworks are causing people to shop outside of town

A town is experiencing a "massive effect" from long-term disruption caused by multiple roadworks, say residents and traders.

Work has been taking place on a number of main roads in Stafford at various times over the last few years, including Lichfield Road, the A34, A513 Beaconside, A449 Wolverhampton Road, Doxey Road and Chell Road.

Business owners said the closures and temporary traffic lights, plus the congestion they caused, have led to a sharp decrease in footfall across the town.

Staffordshire County Council said it would do everything it could to change the way roadworks were planned in order to minimise disruption.

Former business owner Andy Keen told BBC Midlands Today that, while he understood roadworks had to take place, they needed to be done "faster", as they were causing people to shop elsewhere.

"Continents are moving faster than the roadworks are happening," he said. "The pace they're taking place at is just too slow. It needs to happen far, far quicker."

Peter and Jill Atkinson, who run Queensville Stores, say the roadworks have affected their business

Jill Atkinson, owner of Queensville Stores, based in Queensville, said the roadworks were currently the worst they have ever been in her 46 years at the shop.

"It's had a massive effect since last September," she said. "We're just a small business and it's been really, really hard.

"It's affecting us, our staff, our livelihood – absolutely everything, really. It's just gone from bad to worse."

Mrs Atkinson said people often did not realise they could still visit the shop while the roadworks were in place, and they had to throw more out-of-date produce away due to the fall in customers.

"We've worked long and hard for many years, and it's like it's being taken away," she added.

Some temporary traffic lights in the town have been in place for years, claim residents

Councillor Peter Mason, cabinet member for highways at the council, said the authority would refrain from adding any new non-essential works in heavily disrupted areas for the next three months.

"It is very clear to me that we need to do more to improve the condition of Staffordshire's roads," he said.

"This does come with inevitable disruption, which is to be expected, but we must do everything we can to minimise this.

"This includes changing how we programme these works so not so many are done at the same time."