11th May 2011

LYME REGIS: Seafront shops forced to close at short notice

By Paul Crompton

TRADERS will not be compensated despite losing thousands of pounds worth of business when excavation work along Lyme Regis’ seafront forced them close.

Gift shops and ice cream parlours were left with no option but to close when workman from Western Power Distribution began to dig up Marine Parade to provide a new electricity supply to Largigi House, the Marine Parade building which has replaced the Bay Hotel annexe.

Business owners say they lost up to £800 a day as tourists avoided the holes and barriers as work to supply a property along the seafront with electricity was carried out.

Shopkeepers were left angry after Western Power Distribution failed to notify them until the last moment of a start date for work to lay 100 metres of cable along Marine Parade.

A Western Power Distribution representative spoke to shopkeepers at the end of March and early April to inform them that the work was planned.
They were given notification dated March 4th from Western Power but the letter did not arrive until a few days before work was due to commence.

Owner of The Alcove shop and cafe Lee Hamlin said: “We had no letter then people complained and we had the letter on the Thursday last week and they said it would start on Tuesday.

“We had to close all three shops on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week.

“The only reason we are open today is because we are taking deliveries because it’s a waste of time as people are not walking past.

“What plans could we put in place, we had to close. We have stuff outside and we just couldn’t operate and so we have lost takings for four days and the weekend wasn’t brilliant because people were afraid to walk past the hole.

“It’s a shame they didn’t do it earlier on in January or February or even March. Why do it in May?

“We just want it to finish as soon as possible. We wouldn’t have shut, we would’ve kept on trading.”

A spokesman from Western Power Distribution said: “We couldn’t send out a letter until we were sure of a start date because we had to get other organisations together and then send out a letter. We hold our hands up on that.”

“I don’t know why the notice was not given out, I don’t understand why that didn’t arrive.”

“We had someone ask for an electricity supply and under our licence we have to supply it. I know access can be a problem but if we had to close any part of a path it is usually because of safety reasons and although the access may have been disrupted for some time the work will be finished on time.

They added: “Compensation is not an option. The terms of our licence states we have to do this work and we have no option, we have to do it. This is not a compensation situation here.”

Town clerk Miker Lewis said he sympathised with the traders.

He said: The town council was informed of the work as a matter of courtesy but we did not get the letter until last week.”

PICTURE: THEY SHALL NOT PASS! The road works which forced Marine Parade shops and cafes to close last week