A Wensleydale business owner has urged council chiefs to consider the consequences of closing roads for repairs.
The A684 has been shut this week between West Witton and Swinithwaite for repairs to drains.
It is the third time this year that road closures have been in place between Leyburn and Aysgarth.
Guy Fairhurst runs Fairhursts Cafe and Farm Shop in Swinithwaite.
He said: “Every time they close the road our takings are down 50 per cent.
“We’re all struggling because of the energy crisis and they’re just making things so much worse.
“I don’t understand why they have to close the road fully and why they can’t do the work at night or under traffic lights.
“Presumably it’s because it’s cheaper for them just to close the road.”
He added: “The diversion is through Redmire on the other side of the Dale and the amount of traffic on this road is ridiculous – it’s not just meant to take all those vehicles.”
In response, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said the work involved extensive excavation and it was not safe to operate the road under traffic lights, especially as this stretch was so narrow.
They said the work had now been completed a day early.
Leyburn and Middleham county councillor Karin Sedgwick said she had been assured the council would only close the road when absolutely necessary.
Comments are closed.
The excuse is no contraflow because of ‘health and safety’ regulations, which is odd because when those horrible metal crash barriers went up along the A684 they used traffic lights to control the traffic