A SHOP owner fears he may go out of business before the Bruce Street Bridges development work eventually comes to an end unless there is more financial help from Swindon Borough Council.

Steve Law, of Steve's Mobility on Rodbourne Road, only had one customer come into his shop on Friday and now, along with neighbouring businesses Associated Electrical and Lighting and My T Sharp, he says the businesses affected should have their loss of earnings factored into the building contract.

Mr Law said he has suffered so much stress because of the building work and the effect it has had on his business he is now on anti-depressants.

“The kerbstones outside my shop have had to be relaid four times, and we have jack hammers right outside the shop door. It is so loud that you can’t even hear the phone ring," he said.

“Anyone who is disabled who is trying to visit the shop needs to be dropped off close to the shop, and before there were places they could stop. But now they can’t get any closer than 50 metres to the shop.

"We are struggling to hang on now. I honestly do not know if we will still be here in March when the work is meant to be finished.”

Danny Wilson, of AEL, said: “It is a contract that is worth millions and you would think they would factor into that a very small amount of money to help out the local businesses.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that we carry out CCTV installations as well I honestly believe that the shop wouldn’t even be here anymore. The trade has just completely and utterly dropped off and customers are telling us that they are finding it a struggle to get here.

“Having all of those ugly barriers outside the shop makes us look as though we are closed. The traffic is starting to get a bit better, but it is important that people realise that we are still here and we are still trading. We’re not closed off and we need a bit of community support.

“I don’t feel a lot of time or concern was put into thinking about how these works would affect businesses.”

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for sustainability and transport, said: “Everyone appreciates that the work at Bruce Street Bridges has caused a great deal of inconvenience to local businesses, and the Council has been doing all that it can to minimise the impact on them.

“A project manager from the council regularly talks to the three businesses to provide progress updates on the £8m scheme, and has helped them through putting up signs to clearly state that the businesses are open as normal, while also creating a footpath for pedestrians to make accessing the shops as easy as possible.

“The local businesses will also benefit from a new loading bay outside the shops and the creation of seven new parking spaces, including a disabled bay, and I am 100 per cent certain the three businesses affected are aware of the financial assistance that has been available for the last two years so that they pay no business rates.”