One jam after another for gridlocked village

Frustrated shopkeepers, reeling from more than a year of traffic gridlocks, are bracing themselves for more chaos in a Saddleworth village.

Work to renew a major gas main in Uppermill is scheduled to take three weeks and will involve installing a temporary one-way traffic system next month.

But worried businesses say the scheme, which will also include two-way traffic signals, will impact on passing trade.

The temporary order begins on Monday and the temporary two-way traffic lights will be operating at the High Street-New Street junction for a week.

Then the operation switches to New Street and Bolton’s Yard for a further two weeks from August 10.

Oldham’s Unity Partnership has already issued warnings of likely disruption, which will also see a one-way traffic system operating in New Street, Bolton’s Yard and Smithy Lane.

And although the gas mains contractor will keep the limited waiting bays outside the shops in operation for as long as possible, shopkeepers fear trade will be damaged.

They claim business is just recovering from the backlash of temporary traffic lights at Brownhills Bridge which was severely damaged by a water burst and closed for more than a year.

Veteran village baker, Ian Scholes, who owns J W Buckley’s premises in New Street and High Street, said: “August is our busiest time. We have a very strong trade at New Street with customers coming for early morning sandwiches and other take-aways.

“While I appreciate New Street will still function, it would be better if all the yellow lines in the village were temporarily suspended.”

Paul Lowcock, of Paul’s Quality Meats, who has premises on the High Street-New Street junction, said: “What next?

“We are just seeing business return to some kind of normality after the reopening of Brownhills junction a few weeks ago — now this happens.”

And greengrocer Graham Bearpark, who has a business in New Street, added: “I understand work has to be done — but it will make things very difficult for us.

“People like the ability to park and collect goods. It will also impact on deliveries.”

Paul Watton, Unity Partnerships’ traffic engineer, said: “There has been a lot of heartache and soul-searching as to a strategy tackling this job, and we are working very closely with the engineering company which will be replacing the main.

“We are aware of Rushcart weekend later in August and, of course, we are really conscious of the impact on businesses and traffic in the immediate vicinity.”