A COUPLE who run a village shop claim their business has been put under threat be-cause of a road closure.

Gemma and Nigel Harris started Roots Food Markets at Hardwick, near Bicester, in December last year, and quickly built up a healthy trade among customers from surrounding villages looking for a local alternative to the supermarkets.

But last month, the road that runs past their shop was closed for re- surfacing and repairs and did not reopen for more than two weeks — despite a sign saying it would take just five days.

As a result, takings have dropped from £8,000 a week to £1,500.

Mrs Harris said: “With the majority of our stock being fresh, our waste levels have been horrific.

“This is a phenomenal figure for any business, but it’s a death knell to a small enterprise like ours.

“Most of our custom comes along that road and the alternative is to travel 10 miles around it.

“After working so hard, it is devastating that this has happened.”

Mrs Harris agreed that road re-pairs needed to be carried out, but said she had no warning – and no time to prepare alternative plans.

Signs put up near the shop also conflict, with one saying the work would take five days from August 24, and the other saying 10 days.

When Mrs Harris contacted Ox-fordshire County Council, she said she was told the shop was outside the area of the road closure, so there had been no need to give them notice.

She said: “We are now having to start all over again, building up our custom and trust.”

“We may not be able to bounce back financially, which will mean an empty space here once again.”

Ian Clarke, of the county council's highways team, said: “The county council has an obligation to maintain the public highway for road users, which will inevitably mean roads have to be closed to carry out essential repairs.

“Such closures will always have a negative impact while they are in force, affecting residents, local businesses and motorists in general.

“We understand this and strive to complete projects as swiftly and ef-ficiently as possible.

“Unfortunately, the roadworks had to be delayed due to the overrunning of an unrelated scheme being carried out by the county council’s contractors.

“The signs were updated to reflect this change, but not all of them were amended as they should have been.

“We apologise for this oversight and the inconvenience caused.”