Jennie Simmonds sent an email from Laughterton Shop & Post Office to say: “I am again having major roadworks outside my shop, which completely kills my trade. Last year the roadworks (to build a new reservoir) affected my takings up to 50% a day.”
She had tried to claim from the water company involved, sending evidence of loss, and got an apology but no compensation.
This time the works are to lay electrical cable for a local farmer for a wind turbine.
Water companies are required by law to compensate for loss of business, so I suggested that Jennie writes a strong letter of complaint to the highest person in charge at the water company and copy it to her local council and local paper.
I also recommended appealing to the local council for a reduction in her business rates because the business has suffered through no fault of its own; although the savings won’t be huge. And I wondered whether there are any no-win no-fee lawyers out there as it the business-to-business equivalent of a consumer tripping down some ill-made steps.
When I wrote back to Jennie saying what bad luck it is to have two hits in a row like this she replied: “I have just heard that Highways may be resurfacing the road in the near future. This would really cause major repercussions for my business, maybe staff reduced hours or even redundancies.”
So it could be a triple whammy. Anybody got any good ideas on how to survive this?
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