Calley Arms landlord says road closure on M4 bridge cost him trade

The borough council closed the bridge over the M4 for three weeks while work was carried out on its foundations.

But Broome Manor Lane is a key link between Swindon and the hamlet of Hodson, where the Calley Arms is based.

Although it was reopened a week early, Calley Arms boss Paul Clarke is frustrated the road to Hodson was kept closed while no-one on site.

He said: “It wasn’t needed for the whole time. I understand health and safety for when the workers are there but they’re not there in the evenings or weekends.

“Once the road re-opened, my business jumped back to the 20 per cent it lost.

“It needs to be a bit more thoughtful. They could have made it a lot easier.The businesses should be looked at and efforts should be made to lessen the impact.”

The issues of the work was raised to the council and to South Swindon Conservative candidate Robert Buckland.

“It could have just been coincidence that they were finished after I spoke to Mr Buckland,” Paul said.

“Weekends are critical hours for my business.

“We’re a new start-up pub. Most people who took the detour that was in place would come to four or five other pubs before making it back here.”

Paul was worried the disruption could cause real issues. He said: “If it went on any longer, we could have been bankrupt. They should have considered the impact.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Over the past couple of weeks, we have undertaken some vital ground investigation work to ensure Broome Manor Lane, over Hodson Embankment, stays open in the long term.

“We took the decision to close the road to keep the workers and public safe and to ensure that the job was completed as quickly as possible.

“We informed the local residents and businesses of the closure in good time and the work was completed quicker than expected. We always consider the needs of residents and businesses when undertaking work of this nature and we strive to keep disruption to an absolute minimum.”