BUSINESSES in Chippenham are concerned that a two-week-long closure of the A420 for resurfacing in the middle of the summer holidays is going to massively affect their trade.

The road will be shut between 9am and 4.30pm and 7pm and 12am from July 30 to August 15, affecting Park Lane from its junction with Marshfield Road to its junction with New Road; New Road from its junction with Park Lane to its junction with Marshfield Road; Marshfield Road from its junction with Park Lane to its junction with New Road; and Ivy Lane from its junction with New Road and A4 Bridge Centre.

Businesses are also disappointed that Wiltshire Council hadn’t informed them about the forthcoming closures. Staff at family-run store Pineleaze in New Road and Dickie’s Barbershop in Park Lane say it is going to be a nightmare for staff and customers.

Tom Tume, who has owned Dickie’s Barbershop for six years, said: “I didn’t know about it, but it is going to be a nightmare, I am a little bit miffed. I would have liked to have had more notice.

“If we had plenty notice we could put something up in our window letting customers know the road is going to be closed.

“It is going to impact the business massively.

“Usually our customers would park at Hathaway and walk down, or normally they would park on the lane if they could find a space. But if something becomes an effort, people just won’t come in.”

Leader of Chippenham Town Council, Sandie Webb, who owns Shoestrings takeaway and Buckles fish and chip shops in the town, said she can relate to the worries of traders.

“It is going to be chaos, but we all moan about the state of the roads and they have to be repaired.

“It isn’t going to be nice for businesses but it will be good for us because we will have our roads repaired which I am happy about.

“I say let’s try to think about the good side of it, but I have every sympathy for them as a fellow trader.”

“Our shops in the town have difficult trading conditions everywhere at the moment, it is a fact of life, everyone is struggling a little bit.

“They should say business is going to be as normal.

“They can get the road done like this or have it take twice as long.”