A JEWELLER says work to rip up pavements outside his store is hitting him in the pocket after only selling £4 worth of stock in the quietest day of trading he has seen in more than 20 years.

Alan Farren, who has been running Farren’s Jewellers in Pelham’s Lane in Colchester town centre since 1993, is furious at highways work being carried out by Essex Highways who are upgrading the pavements in the area.

Just £4 worth of stock was sold on Monday, and Mr Farren believes customers are being put off by the state of the unfinished work on the walkway.

He said: “We have got a serious problem with the council digging up the pavements outside the shop. It isn’t just us who are suffering, it is the other businesses around us as well.

“One customer who was in a mobility scooter actually got stuck on the pavement outside.

“It has been going on in little parts for two or three weeks but the major works have started more recently.

“People think we are closed because there are great big barriers along the road and on Monday I only took £4, where as usually we would be looking at £600 or £700.

Mr Farren, 67, said he had tried to contact the council but was struggling to get any response.

He said:”We are getting absolutely nowhere with the council, or the highways office.

“What makes it worse is I cannot even see them doing any work.

“Things would be much better if I came back one morning and I could see work had been done on a 30 yard stretch but it just is not happening.

“I cannot afford to have a business which is taking £4 in a day, I’ve never seen anything like it before.

“Even on a cold, wet, snowy day we will take more than that - it is a disaster for us.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “Work to improve footways in this area was being done at night to avoid obstructions and problems for businesses during the day.

“Following complaints from local residents that the night work was causing them difficulty in sleeping, we agreed with local council officers to carry out the works during the day.

“Where possible, we carry out work near shops after they have closed.

“We do everything we can to maintain access to local businesses at all times.”