Anger as Kirton flood prevention roadworks completion date is put back by TWO MONTHS

The Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) roadworks, which began in April, aim to prevent surface water flooding around High Street and Station Road.

They were scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.

But now the authority has announced the works will be ongoing until the end of August – due to a variety of factors.

The High Street has been closed for the duration of the works, with the only access to Station Road being from the A16.

Some residents and affected businesses are angry with the disruption and the effect they say it is having on footfall in the town.

Paula Allen from Paula’s Gifts, located on the junction of Station Road and High Street, told us: “My takings have gone down to next-to-nothing since these disruptive roadworks began.

"I think the council should cover the rent of all businesses affected here while the work is going on.

"We’ve all lost lots of money over this, and we’re businesses that had been proud to have come through the affects of Covid.”

One resident, posting to Facebook, wrote: “Feel so sorry for the businesses in Kirton, it’s getting past a joke now.”

Another commented: “Do shops get any compensation for loss of trade - they have suffered quite a bit so far.”

A spokesman for LCC said: “Whilst work was originally due to take around 12 weeks, a combination of poor ground conditions, supply chain shortages and unexpected underground pipes and cables, all mean the project will unfortunately take longer than originally expected.”

Matthew Harrison, LCC flood and water manager, explained: “Despite all the planning we do before a scheme like this – by the very nature of the works involved – when we dig down into the road we can still sometimes come across unknown issues. And here, we’ve unfortunately experienced a series of surprises; from unfavourable ground conditions to finding gas pipes, sewage and water pipes, and cables, that we weren’t expecting.

“All these things mean we’re going to be delayed laying the new, wider drainage pipe as the team now needs to work around the utility services we’ve found.

"On top of this, we’ve also been affected by delays getting materials due to shortages in the supply chain.

“Unfortunately, each of these issues has affected the length of time this scheme is going to take us. We’re absolutely committed to reducing the risk of surface water flooding here and protecting the homes and businesses in this area, so we just ask residents to bear with us for a few more weeks. We’re working hard to keep the delay as short as possible.

"Not only have we started working on weekends wherever possible, but we’re continuing to look for ways to reduce the amount of time the road has to be closed.

“We understand the disruptive impact this work is having on the local community and businesses, so we will most definitely keep residents updated as the project continues. Thank you for bearing with us.”

Lincolnshire World has asked LCC if affected businesses will be compensated. More on this story as we get it.