Bramcote shop suffers drop in customers after wall collapse

The road had been due to open on 18 April

A shop owner said he is counting the cost of a collapsed wall that has led to a nearby road closure being extended.

Town Street in Bramcote was closed for gas works on 2 April before a wall fell on to the road near a corner known as Devil's Bend on 7 April.

The road was due to reopen on 18 April, but Nottinghamshire County Council has not confirmed a new timetable.

Kulwarn Dhariwal said the shop he has run for 35 years is losing customers.

"We're not getting folks who will be going to work, going to parties, going to friends - we've lost that passing trade," he said.

'Double whammy'

Mr Dhariwal, who lives in Chilwell, said passing trade from motorists accounts for about 40% of his sales.

The 56-year-old, who runs the Premier convenience store in Bramcote Lane, is concerned about the impact a lengthy closure could have.

"We're covering our costs in the shop - electric, gas and other things we've got to pay out, but we're not taking a wage home," he said.

"Like everybody else we've got a mortgage to pay we've got our home bills to pay and everything else.

"On top of that because we're not getting the footfall come through the shop we're getting a lot of waste.

"If we keep our shelves full of stock people aren't coming in to purchase it and we're throwing it away - it's a double whammy for us."

Kulwarn Dhariwal has been running his shop for 35 years

Despite the difficulties, Mr Dhariwal is hopeful his business will be able to continue.

"If we were starting out in business and we had huge wage bills, we had a loan and everything it probably would've ended up closing us down," he said.

"We've been here for 35 years, we haven't got a loan on the place, we haven't got any [other] staff, [so] that respect we're quite fortunate.

"There's no one to blame; if you want to blame anything blame the weather."

In a statement on the wall collapse, the county council said it will "keep residents and road users informed of any developments".

"It is likely that the road will remain closed beyond this time," they said.

"The cause of the collapse is currently unknown, with initial investigations being inconclusive and further investigations will be required before any repairs commence."