LLANGEFNI traders say major roadworks are hitting their businesses hard, causing huge income losses since work began in February. The closure of Church Street, a main shopping stretch in the market town, is part of Anglesey County Council's plans for local improvements. A main complaint is that site offices for the works have been set up on the station car park, which some claim could cut the amount of visitors to the town by more than 200 people per day. Road users and shop owners were warned by the council that the roadworks would cause disruption, but now traders say they could not have expected the actual impact they have experienced on their incomes. One trader who spoke to the Mail reported a 50% drop in takings since roadworks began. He said: "We are suffering major losses, what angers me is the amount of car parking spaces taken for the site offices. "There's a long way to go before this is over, about 20 weeks, and we'll survive it as will anyone with good financial resilience, but it's unacceptable. "If you told an employee of the highways department they should expect a 50% cut in their income for 20 weeks, I'm sure you'd get the same response. "It's not just a question of the cut now, shoppers develop new habits, and if they think this isn't a pleasant place to come and shop anymore, they'll go elsewhere and why revert back when it's over? "I just don't know if the local authority are aware of what's happening, it's not just affecting Church Street, it's affecting the whole town. "We're talking about jobs and serious money is being lost." Changes to Church Street began in late February, after the council secured a grant from the Assembly and Welsh Development Agency. The funding, totalling £431,000, was aimed to ensure a fairer balance between the needs of pedestrians and transport, hoped to bring economic, environmental and social benefits to the town. Works include improvement to footpaths, road resurfacing, new bus shelters and a zebra crossing. A Traffic Regulation Order authorised the closure of the street for a period of nine months, though the street will not be closed for the whole time. With regard to the parking spaces taken up by the site offices, a council spokesman said: "Due to the nature and length of the construction work being undertaken, our contractors required a suitable location for their site office. "Suitable sites were limited within the confines of the town centre, however, the station car park was deemed the most appropriate area. "The area being used by the contractor has been kept to an absolute minimum in order to minimise the loss of car parking spaces. "It was also important that the compound was sited where CCTV coverage was present for safety and security reasons, but even with this coverage instances of vandalism have been reported." With regard to prior warning of disruption in the town, the spokesman added: "The authority consulted with the town council, Chamber of Trade, Cwmni Tref Llangefni and local county councillors beforehand to give everyone an opportunity to voice their opinion and ensure that the proposed changes have a positive impact. "We obviously apologise for any disruption caused to businesses in Llangefni, and would urge shoppers to continue to support them over the coming months. "Signs informing the public that businesses are 'open as usual' have been in place since the work commenced, and the council is currently looking at providing further signage to emphasise this important message. "The council will continue to work with our contractor Mulcair Ltd and consultant Capita Symonds to minimise disruption, and will liaise with shopkeepers to ensure that they are kept informed of the latest developments." | 
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