Pinchbeck garden centre says roadworks delay has cost business £100,000

A long-running road closure near Pinchbeck has become a growing concern for local businesses and residents, after Lincolnshire County Council fined a construction firm £2,000 a day for overrunning works on Surfleet Road. At the centre of the disruption is Birchgrove Garden Centre, on the outskirts of the village, where owner Gary Slator says the impact has been severe. The business has been effectively cut off from Pinchbeck by the closure, with customers facing a 10-mile diversion to reach the site. Mr Slator said the delay had been devastating for trade and estimated the business would be down by £100,000 in takings by the end of the month.

For a well-known local destination that relies on passing custom as well as regular visitors, the effect of reduced access has been stark. The works are linked to utility connections for a new housing development and were originally due to finish on 6 March. Lincolnshire County Council granted an initial two-week extension because of what it described as difficult ground conditions. However, after refusing any further delay, the authority moved to issue daily fines when the project continued beyond 22 March.

According to the council, site inspections found limited or no activity taking place when work should have been under way. That prompted the penalty, which is intended to put pressure on the contractor to complete the job and reduce further disruption for the surrounding area. Burmor Construction has apologised for the overrun and said the work had been made much harder by natural groundwater and running silts. The firm said those conditions had made the connection particularly difficult.

Frustration in Pinchbeck has not been limited to one business. Residents speaking about the closure described it as unfair and said the length of the disruption had caused too much inconvenience for local people and traders alike. One visitor said it was right that fines had been introduced, arguing that businesses were suffering as a result. The dispute has struck a chord in South Holland, where roadworks can quickly affect footfall, deliveries and day-to-day journeys in rural communities with limited alternative routes.

For independent firms especially, even short-term closures can have a noticeable financial impact when customers decide the diversion is simply too much trouble. Ashley Behan, the county council's traffic manager, said he was extremely disappointed that road users, residents and businesses were facing continued disruption because of delays to what he described as a developer-led scheme. The council has said no further extensions will be allowed, although works were still expected to continue until 29 March. For businesses around Pinchbeck, the hope now is that the road reopens as soon as possible and that trade can begin to recover after weeks of disruption.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.