Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has called for businesses in Orton to be compensated after suffering losses totalling thousands of pounds as a result of the continuing closure of a 6km stretch of the road into the village.
Businesses in Orton say they have been severely impacted by the continuing closure of B6261 into the village from the northwest side — now approaching its 17th week — while Electricity North West carries out work to reinforce the network around Tebay Services, so EV charging facilities can be increased both northbound and southbound on the M6 motorway.
Local business people say they received no prior notice of the temporary closure which began on 10th June, and they are angry this happened during the summer tourist season. Their MP has now raised their plight with the Secretary of State for Business, pressing for affected businesses to be compensated for their losses.
Villagers have been told they have no right to compensation for lost income due to electricity work, whereas gas companies have a statutory duty to provide compensation for works lasting longer than 28 days which adversely affect businesses income.
Mr Farron told the Herald: “This extended road closure will continue to massively hammer local businesses in Orton. While the work that Electricity North West is doing is important, the delays and the lack of notice given is really poor.
“Local businesses should be compensated for this disruption, and I have written to both Electricity North West and the Secretary of State for Business on their behalf.”
The 6.3km road closure was approved by the Local Highways Authority and a diversion along the A6 to Kendal and A685 was designated the suitable alternative — a diversion of around 30 miles according to angry villagers.
Faced with such a lengthy diversion, David Kennedy, director of Kennedys Fine Chocolates and its adjoining coffee house, said his footfall had reduced significantly as tourists opted out of making the journey to the village. He cited one regular tour group from the nearby Shap Wells Hotel who stopped visiting this summer.
Mr Kennedy added: “It is very frustrating, especially as we had no notice this was happening. There was no consultation or communication. Why they chose to shut the road during the height of the tourist season, I don’t know.
“Some drivers are using the motorway and going to junction 38 but that is still a significant diversion and many elderly villagers have said they do not like driving on the motorway. Tourists who are not so knowledgeable about the roads are just bypassing the village.
“If we had known beforehand we might have been able to make preparations and have a sign indicating that businesses were open as usual. We are having to put up with this, but I can’t see the village getting any benefit as a result.”
Mr Kennedy estimated he has lost turnover of as much as £20,000 since the road closed on 10th June. Nearby, the subpostmaster Neville Grove who runs the post office and village store said he had also suffered a significant drop in footfall resulting in losses of between £8,000 – £17,000.
The subpostmaster, who runs the outlet with his wife Jayne, took over the operation in 2019. He added: “We were just turning a corner after Covid and now this. Any passing trade I get tends to come from the B6262.
“Only residents who live along the stretch of the road which is closed were informed of the closure beforehand but no one thought about the knock-on effect further along the village. We had no notice at all. None of my regular customers are happy with the situation. Many of them have to go to Shap for medical supplies but they’re having to drive a 20-30 mile diversion and they do not like the motorway.”
Kate Parsley who runs the Scar Café in Orton said she had noticed customers arriving later in the morning. Normally she would see her regulars arrive around 9-30am, whereas now they coming at 10-30am, but many were finding alternative routes.
She continued: “The work needs to be done and there is not a lot we can do really. We won’t get any compensation.”
North West Electricity have told the MP that they always try to avoid road closures where possible but it was unavoidable in this case. According to signage the road is shut for 20 weeks, meaning it should reopen at the end of the month.
A spokesman for Electricity North West said: “Teams are entering the final stages of our £7.5m investment project which will see several kilometres of underground cables installed along the B621.
“Prior to work starting, we agreed all traffic management with the local council and communicated this to customers by hand delivering letters to properties on the B621 and roads just off it. Advanced notice signage was also installed in surrounding villages.
“Work had been progressing well until recently where engineers encountered difficult digging conditions. Despite this, teams expect to finish in the coming weeks, ahead of the initial November completion date.”
