Hereford's Widemarsh Street traders relieved as works finish

While the works were scheduled to finish in July, the pedestrianised part of Widemarsh Street only fully reopened on Monday (September 4).

The previous 50mm kerb, which had been the cause of several trips and falls since being installed in 2011, has been removed by lifting and replacing the road surface.

New channel blocks and a drainage system have also being added, with the project reportedly costing £1.2 million.

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Alexandra Eddy is pleased that the works are no longer obstructing the shop windows. (Image: Rob Davies)

Alexandra Eddy, who manages Oswin and Co, said: “It’s fantastic that the street is back open. It took a very long time, but it definitely needed to be done. It’s also nice to see the planters back so there’s a bit of greenery.”

However, despite the necessary works, they also had a huge impact on the businesses in the street, worsened by the prolonged delays.

A survey by Hereford Business Improvement District (BID) revealed that traders experienced drops in sales of up to 50 per cent.

Mrs Eddy added: “While the works were ongoing, the pavement was completely reduced. Customers couldn’t look in our windows and see our products.”

Karon Hamilton, founder of Printer+Tailor, meanwhile, said: “Thank god it’s over.

“It’s nice to see the street back to normal, it’s been a long time.

“The tripping was really bad. There was rarely a weekend where there wasn’t at least one nasty accident.”

In regard to the delays, Mrs Hamilton added: “Surely you would negotiate a fixed term and there’s penalties, but that didn’t seem to be the case at all.

“What they had to do was quite complicated but more or less the whole year has been wiped out.”

“From a trading point of view, it was terrible.”

Les Black remembers the disruption caused by the original works on Widemarsh street in 2011 (Image: Rob Davies)

Les Black, who runs fashion store M Black and Sons, said: “People were falling over in the street every day, probably thousands in total.”

But he too noticed the negative impact generated by the works, adding: “It like a war zone, nearly as bad as the first time. We had to wash the front of the shop down and keep the doors constantly closed. The smells and the fumes were bad.”

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