Businesses are suffering a dramatic fall in trade, due to roadworks which are gridlocking traffic.

According to the Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, some traders' profit margins in Oxford city centre are down 25 per cent on the same time last year.

Now the chamber is calling for local authorities to liaise with public utilities, so that roadworks don't jam the roads in Oxford all year round. The complaint comes just months after bosses at the Chamber demanded the resignation of the chief executive of the Highways Agency, when the six-week closure of the northbound carriageway of the A34 caused traffic chaos across Oxfordshire.

The chamber's president Christopher Quinton, who represents 750 members, said last December that the road closure had severely damaged trading in the run-up to Christmas.

Today, he called on local authorities and public utilities to link up, so that roadworks were not constantly jamming the city. He said: "We have already been told that people are choosing to shop in Swindon or Milton Keynes because they know they will be able to avoid the roadworks."

John Venables, co-owner of High Street men's outfitters Shepherd & Woodward, said: "We have been suffering this for the past couple of months but the Saturday before Easter was the worst Saturday's trading in my 42 years in the business." Alan Bloodworth, assistant principal engineer for Oxfordshire County Council, said meetings between local authority staff and contractors took place on a daily basis.

He said: "There is a great deal of liaison to co-ordinate the work that is currently being carried out."

City centre manager Marcus Lapthorn said regular meetings had been set up following traders' concerns about the roadworks.

Story date: Tuesday 13 April

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