‘Roadworks forced me to shut up shop’
A BUSINESS owner in the South Side of Glasgow has been forced to close one of her shops after prolonged engineering works drove customers away.
Helen Martin said she had no choice but to shut her shop La Chique Boutique on Victoria Road due to a lack of business.
The 55-year-old’s other business, Elen’s Alterations, also on Victoria Road, is struggling to survive after losing customers due to restricted access to the street.
Helen is one of several business owners in the area fearing for their future due to the year-long work on the Shieldhall Tunnel costing them thousands of pounds.
A stretch of Queen’s Drive and Langside Road was closed on May 23 last year to allow Scottish Water to carry out the £100 million work.
The roads, which were due to reopen next month, will now remain closed until September due to unforeseen circumstances.
Helen said: “I had to close La Chique Boutique after just a year and a half because of the lack of customers.
“We were opened for a while before the work started and we were getting a lot of business for proms and things so it’s definitely because of the roadworks.
“I’ve lost so much money and I’ve had to move all the stock into my house. It’s been a complete nightmare.”
Mary Dickson, who works in Sunshine Electrical, also on Victoria Road, described the last few months as “soul destroying”.
She added: “It’s been awful, some shops have closed completely and others are having to cut down their opening hours to save money.
A spokesman for Scottish Water said: “The road closure has had to be ex- tended and we now anticipate that it will re-open in September.
“The reason for the extension to the road closure is that the infrastructure Scottish Water is upgrading is more than 100 years old and, following the excavation of a shaft and a review of some existing infrastructure, some aspects of the planned work required additional design.
“Scottish Water apologises for any inconvenience to road users, residents and businesses affected by the extension to the road closure and thanks them for their patience and understanding.
“We have liaised with affected businesses and will continue to do so.”