A FURIOUS Salisbury retailer is demanding answers from Transco, after a spate of gas leaks that has crippled trade.

Fana Stephens, who owns and manages The Green House, in Fisherton Street, said workmen had dug up the pavement outside her shop three times in the past six months to repair a gas main.

She said this had prevented people from walking past the premises, sometimes from even entering, and this had cost her hundreds of pounds in passing trade.

The final straw came last week, when Transco workmen forced her to evacuate the shop and close it for several hours as they worked to tap yet another leak.

"This was the fourth time in recent months they have either dug up the road or pavement outside," said Mrs Stephens.

"But this time, they also closed us down and removed some of the floor tiles from inside, which they still haven't replaced.

"We lost a lot of trade last week - in fact, it was the worst trading week we've ever had.

"It's difficult enough to persuade people to come down this end of Fisherton Street and the constant upheaval and drilling has made it far worse."

Now Mrs Stephens wants to know if she is entitled to compensation, and why Transco failed to fix the fault the first time round.

"I want to know if I am entitled to compensation from Transco and if I am entitled to expect them to correct the problem - or am I just going to be left in the lurch?" she said.

"You smell gas and you report it, but all they do is come and dig up another part of the road.

"They never return to check that the problem is fixed once and for all."

A spokesperson for Transco said Mrs Stephens was not entitled to any compensation, as the repairs had never been planned jobs.

Andrea Hopkins said: "She is not liable for compensation because we were there purely as an emergency service to protect the safety of others.

"Transco is a gas emergency service - safety is our top priority."

Ms Hopkins also said the company had now fixed the gas main but, as part of an ongoing and essential replacement programme, the old cast iron main would be replaced with plastic pipe in due course.