BUSINESS owners have said they are being “crippled” by delayed road works in Headington.

The first phase of work to upgrade the London Road began on October 13 and were due to finish in mid-December.

Traders in The Roundway, next to the Green Road roundabout, have been left severely affected by the roadworks, which have now been delayed by six weeks.

Owner of Headington Newsagents Roop Singh said: “My sales have been down by about 40 per cent.

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“We used to get a lot of people walking here from Barton but it’s virtually impossible to walk over.

“Our older customers can’t drive here because of the traffic and the lack of parking.

“Most shops can’t wait for Christmas as it’s a time where people are spending a lot more. For me it has been terrible.”

As reported in Friday’s Oxford Mail, the first phase of resurfacing has been delayed by six weeks and is expected to be completed by mid-January.

Throughout the first phase, the bus lane on the A40 from Thornhill Park and Ride and the left filter lane on the Eastern Bypass has been closed, resulting in long queues towards the Green Road Roundabout.

Oxfordshire County Council said this was because underground pipes and cables found at the site needed to be moved.

Headington Bathrooms owner Neil Bolton, 56, said: “How can an 11 week project be six weeks delayed?

“Foot traffic into the shop is down by 80 per cent and I have customers calling me up telling me that they can’t get here because of the traffic or they have issues parking.”

Selma Harb, 64-year-old owner of Roundway Pharmacy, said: “It’s affected us a lot.

“Our prescription orders have been down a lot for this time of year. Usually we get people coming in and buying cold medication at this time of year, but no one can get to us.”

The pedestrian subway that connects Headington to Barton was also closed for the works.

Oxford Ink tattooist Jack Kuzminski, 32, said: “We certainly don’t get as many walk-ins.

“What I would say is that a lot of the businesses in the area have been affected.”

County council spokesman Dominic Llewellyn-Jones said: “If local people have matters to raise they are more than welcome to get in touch with us to discuss them.”

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