8:50 am, July 31, 2023
A used car dealer has been left fearing for the future after he said major roadworks wiped out business overnight.
Marsh Lane Car Sales near Hinstock in Shropshire said it had been decimated by a blanket closure of the A41 and subsequent 29-mile diversion.
The outfit, which usually sells up to 10 cars a week, hasn’t sold a single vehicle since the work began at the start of last week.
Boss Adrian Slater says two prospective deals fell through as a result of buyers being unable to easily reach the site, effectively costing the company £10,000.
The roadworks are due to go on until September but business has dropped off so dramatically that Slater now fears the dealership could fold before they are complete.
He told the Shropshire Star: ‘Our business is being completely shut down by the road closure.
‘We had two cars lined up for sale on Monday that were cancelled – that’s £10,000 gone.
‘We average between five and 10 car sales a week, we haven’t sold a thing this week. We’ve had no calls since Monday. People just aren’t going to do the 29-mile diversion.
‘It’s not just sales, it’s taking hours to get an MOT on one of our cars. I have to pay staff for the journey to an MOT station in Newport which should be 15 minutes and it’s taking hours to get there.
‘We can’t do tyres because the delivery companies aren’t bringing them to us. By the time we’ve driven to collect the tyres it’s not worth the cost.
‘It’s just one thing on top of another. It’s a nightmare.’
In a bid to safeguard the dealership’s future, the 58-year-old said he considered closing the business temporarily, in order to cut costs.
However, with monthly bills of around £8,000 – and no other way of paying them – he says he’s been left with little choice but to keep trading.
He added: ‘We pay for our advertising in advance, so next month I’ll still have around £8,000 of bills to pay even if we’re not open.
‘If we close down, it’ll be forever.’
The work being carried includes resurfacing and patching, ironwork reinstatement, drainage improvements, road sweeping, gully cleansing, tree felling, litter picking and improvements to road signs and lines.
The whole project is set to cost north of £1m, with highways bosses saying it is being carried out at the request of residents.
A spokesman for the Telford & Wrekin Council highways teams says the closure will continue to be monitored.
‘This essential work being carried out on the A41 is at the request of residents due to the condition and safety of the road and has been planned for the quietest possible time,’ he said.
‘We are investing more than £1m into much-needed maintenance and work hard to try and minimise disruption to residents and businesses. Our team will continue to engage locally to understand what further support can be provided.’
