TRADERS in Wantage are stunned after it emerged roadworks which cost £200,000 may have to be done again.

Wallingford Street was closed for three weeks from September 13 last year, and shops reported huge losses.

But parts of the road are now cracking. Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, said the material had “not performed as expected” and the contractor would pay for the surface to be repairedp.

It is not known if the street will have to close and how much it will cost.

Mike Rowe, owner of Rowe’s Newsmarket, said he lost £20,000 during the road closure.

He said: “It was horrendous. To go through all that and for them to not get it right – it is pretty disgraceful.”

Co-owner Lyn Rowe said: “We could not take another road closure. We have only just got ourselves back on our feet.”

She added: “They should have used materials that were going to last.”

Vincent Montgomery, of Vincent Montgomery’s Traditional Butchers, said he noticed the road cracking when the work was being done.

He said: “It is abysmal. To be rectified it is going to cause us some serious problems.”

Marea Camara, of King Alfred’s Cafe, claimed last year’s road closure cost her £500 a week.

She said: “It is ridiculous. But what can you do?”

Council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “The material used has not performed as expected.

“No decision has been made yet about which parts of the road may need work and when this work may take place.”

He said the contractors will pay for the work, but declined to name the company involved.