Businesses in Norton, near Bury St Edmunds, consider legal action after A1088 Bridge Farm Bridge project cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds
Business owners say they have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds and are considering legal action after an eight-month bridge project which was delayed several times.
Bridge Farm Bridge, on the A1088 at Stowlangtoft, reopened on March 7 after being shut since July 22 for reconstruction.
Businesses in Norton and Stowlangtoft were hit hard by the closure and subsequent delays, and are now looking to try and recoup some of the monies lost.
Suffolk County Council said there is no statutory provision for loss of trade due to roadworks.
Justin Seldis, landlord of The Norton Dog, said he feels he will have to take the matter to court after being denied a £150,000 claim from Milestone, the company which under took the Bridge Farm Bridge project.
He said: “What they’ve done, as far as I’m concerned, is not even acknowledge the concrete mistake; they’re just saying ‘we’re not compensating’ and asking for legal representation.
“A massive error, which cost us huge sums of money, is being batted off as if nothing has happened. They need to sit down with me and compensate me for their error.”
Emails seen by SuffolkNews show Milestone’s claims department informing Justin ‘pure economic loss’ was not a valid claim. It said, if he wanted to pursue the claim, it would have to be through the courts.
Justin said the nearly three-month delay to the project – caused by defective concrete creating weak piles – meant he could not capitalise on the Christmas period or plan for the new year, which depleted all of his savings.
Tam Jeyanathan runs the BP garage in Norton on behalf of Karan Retail Ltd. Trade has drastically reduced due to the long closure.
Accordingly, Karan Retail Ltd is investigating avenues for compensation.
Tam said: "They (Highways/Milestone) need to compensate me and cover my losses. Five months was already too much, the extra months was far too much.”
David Woolzy, owner of Stowlangtoft-based Designs On Metal, said the situation had felt like ‘one slap in the face after another’.
He said his business’ turnover plummeted by 80 per cent during the works. While he put in a claim around four weeks ago, he has heard nothing, but he remains optimistic for the future.
“We’re just simple blacksmiths,” he said. “We didn’t ask for this, we didn’t expect to see our business virtually closed for eight months.
“With last year’s turnover down, am I going to employ an expensive solicitor? Probably not. We’ve reopened and we’re fighting hard to get business up and running again. We’re alive and kicking – it’s full steam ahead.”
The bridge reconstruction was initially due to be complete by December 20, but due to the error, this was pushed back until February 20. Further delays eventually pushed it back to March 7.
Andy Burt, of Andys Auto Fix, which is next to Tam’s garage, said he has not yet looked at legal action, but thinks his businesses has lost in the region of £100,000 due to the closures.
“It’s definitely had an impact, but it’s how you go about measuring that,” he said. “Whether we would have any luck pursuing it I don’t know.”
A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council declined to comment on the claims made by the businesses as they were subject to potential legal action.
However they said: “There is no statutory provision for compensation from loss of business or additional costs incurred caused by roadworks, or other disruptions, on the highway.
“Businesses are strongly recommended to acquire appropriate business interruption insurance to cover any such losses.”
