Work to repair bridge hit by lorry ‘affecting trade’
A pub landlord has said his trade is suffering while repair work is carried out after a lorry hit a road bridge in Derbyshire.
A lorry carrying a digger struck the Watchorn Roundabout above the A38 dual carriageway in Alfreton on 8 January.
National Highways has closed part of the roundabout in order to carry out remedial works with diversions in place.
Lewis Ward, who runs the Miners Arms on Park Street, near the A38 junction said the closure had made the area "chaotic".
A National Highways spokesperson said safety was their main priority and it was carrying out the work as quickly as possible.
The crash happened at about 02:00 GMT on the northbound side of the A38 which shut the carriageway for several hours.
National Highways did not confirm how long the work would take but a traffic order issued to Derbyshire County Council said the closure would remain until Saturday 17 January.
It added access will be maintained, whenever reasonably possible, on the affected length of road and the road will reopen as soon "as the work is finished" which may be earlier than advertised.
Ward said the closure has impacted the pub with quieter trade than normal.
"It's been quite chaotic on the street with cars coming down and realising they can't get out," he said.
"The weather at the end of last week didn't help with barriers falling down.
"Part of the road that's closed is the main entrance to the street and the [diversion] is not well known to everybody."
A National Highways spokesperson said: "Safety is always our number one priority and we are doing everything we can to assess the extent of the damage as quickly as possible.
"Due to the nature of the damage, repairs to the bridge will take time to plan and deliver, however we are working hard to determine what measures are necessary to enable at least a partial reopening of the road safely.
"We thank drivers for their patience while we carry out these investigations and will provide an update as soon as possible."