Cleaning business fears closure to Bildeston High Street
The High Street in Bildeston, near Hadleigh, is set to close from June 22 to November 30 for repair works to the water main by Anglian Water.
This will be a rolling road closure between the B1078 Junction, all the way up High Street at the end of the village.
The works should bring an end to constant repairs along the road; however, there are also fears about the impact of the closure.
Toni Goodyear-Tapsell of Relax And Gleam. (Image: Contributed)
Toni Goodyear-Tapsell, who runs Relax and Gleam, a business in the village, says it will cause “chaos” for her company.
She already lost around a quarter of her clients - around 60 customers - as her team won't be able to reach their homes during the closure.
Meanwhile, the extra petrol for the 10-mile diversion to get to the other side of the village is expected to be a "huge cost" to the business.
She said: “It’s going to be horrific for us.
“The extra petrol cost is going to be ridiculous. The amount of money is going to be horrendous.
“If we are coming from the Hadleigh side of Bildeston, in particular, it’s a very long way to walk with all that kit, and it’s just going to take too much time."
The works come as the village has been plagued with low pressure and intermittent water supply on several occasions over the last month.
A spokesman for Anglian Water highlighted that the company is now investing more than £1 million into upgrading the pipes and that this will help make the water supply in the area safe.
Meanwhile, Miss Goodyear-Tapsell also noted that her team had regularly been left without water when cleaning properties.
Water leaks have previously been spotted along the road as the pipe has burst on many occasions. (Image: Bildeston Parish Council)
She added, “I think long-term it’s going to be great. But we will have to suffer first.
“I do feel like Anglian Water should have picked up on this a long time ago. To let it get to this bad a state is awful.
“It's very concerning because we are just opening a secondary business, which is an assistant management business. It's just mind-boggling the impact this will have.”
An Anglian Water statement said: "There will likely be some disruption for local residents while this work takes place, and we would like to thank the community in advance for your patience.
"To carry out the work safely, we will need to put a rolling road closure in place. This will move along High Street as the project progresses.
"We will keep you informed before moving to the next section so you are aware and can plan accordingly."
