Businesses in Limpley Stoke have been hit after the main road into the village was closed to build a pavement.

The work started on January 5 in Lower Stoke and is expected to last until February 6. As a result the Hop Pole Inn has seen a slump in trade.

Landlady Sharon Curl said she has had to reduce opening hours and let a member of staff go, and she is fearful for the pub’s long-term future.

She said: “We’re a small village pub and that road is our lifeline. We’re relying on 15 regulars to stay afloat.

“People just won’t go out of their way to get to us. We used to get quite a bit of business from through traffic but they can’t get to us anymore.

“At the moment I’ve had to close during the day and I’ve had to let a member of staff go.”

There is no footpath in Lower Stoke at the moment and work will provide a one-metre-wide pavement, with a short break in the middle for a vehicle passing place, between the pub car park and the main road, to link up with an existing pavement which passes under the railway bridge and continues up Winsley Hill.

Mrs Curl added that many residents didn’t know anything about the closure until just a few days before.

She said: “We didn’t hear about the road closure at all and all the villagers are wondering why they are putting a pavement in when we haven’t had one for hundreds of years.

“Putting a notice in the village newsletter isn’t official to me and I should have had a letter or something about the closure.”

The work was as much of a surprise for Vincent Harding, owner of the nearby Station Garage.

He said: “I didn’t know the road closure was happening until it was upon us. They did mention it in the village newsletter but that isn’t official.

“I’ve had to tell my delivery drivers that they have to follow all the diversions to get to me which is a pain for them as it’s a windy detour.”

The most accessible route into the village is now down Woods Hill, however this carries a 7.5-tonne weight limit. Limpley Stoke Parish Council has said that pedestrians, coaches and the No 94 bus will be escorted through the roadworks on the walk-to-school route from the B3108 to Freshford School.