1 week Ago By [email protected] (Suzanne Moon)
Takings at a shop and garage have been hit by roadworks that will last half the year. Andrew Hindmarch, who runs Hindmarch filling station and shop in Uffington Road, Stamford , has seen transactions in the convenience store fall from about 700 a day to 500, while fuel sales are down by about a third. Vistry Homes, responsible for the construction of 200 houses on the former Mirrlees Blackstone site next to Morrisons, dug up a section of road between the roundabout and the entrance to the Hindmarch premises on January 13.
Their roadworks ended on March 14, but were followed on March 17 by a new set organised by National Grid. Mick Thurlby has a farm in Tallington and owns The Crown Hotel, The Tobie Norris and Paten and Co pubs in Stamford, so uses the route into town daily. He has been unimpressed by initial delays to the work, which resulted in temporary traffic lights and long queues but no evidence of progress being made.
The work being carried out is a continuation of electricity network improvements that have already been carried out across farmland he owns in the Tallington area. In addition to delays for drivers, Hindmarch staff have seen an increase in accidents on Uffington Road outside the garage where vehicles are queuing. There were two on Tuesday (April 1), the second of which involved police and paramedics .
A spokesperson for National Grid said they had had to ‘pause’ work after discovering the apex of the former railway bridge “wasn’t the depth that we expected” but despite this the end-date for the work - June 20 - remains unchanged. He added: "We are currently reinforcing the electricity network on Uffington Road. When complete, it will provide a more reliable and secure electricity supply, as well as ensuring our network is fit for the future as demand increases.
"We'd like to thank residents, local businesses, and motorists for their patience and understanding while we complete the project, and are working closely with Lincolnshire County Council to ensure the impact is minimised as much as possible." What do you think? Share your views in the comments..
