Rayleigh MP Mark Francois has criticised gasworks contractors the North London Gas Alliance for their poor progress in getting on with roadworks which are now adversely affecting traders and shoppers in and around Rayleigh High Street. Having already experienced problems with their work on and around Down Hall Road, the contractors have recently moved onto Rayleigh High Street, which has also involved the blocking off of the normally busy junction with Eastwood Road. This has led to traffic diversions and some people being temporarily reluctant to visit the town and has hit local traders as a result.
However, to make matters worse, shortly after the work in this area of town began, immediately adjacent to the digging by the contractors a major water main burst, which caused that section of the High Street around the junction with Eastwood Road to be closed off for the best part of a day. Mark Francois recently visited some of the traders who were worst affected by the disruption and heard at first hand their frustration at the slow progress being made by the contractors in completing the work. Mark had already met with the contractors some weeks ago, to encourage them to get on with the work more quickly and, following the latest incident, he has now written to them again protesting at the apparent lack of commitment to get the job done.
Commenting on this whole situation Mark Francois said:
""Nobody likes the disruption of roadworks but at least you want to feel that there is some sense of urgency behind them. When I met with representatives of the company several weeks ago they assured me they would progress the work as fast as possible, including working on Saturdays to try and speed things up. However, when I visited the area on a Saturday lunchtime there was no sign of anyone working on the project at all - just a whole mass of cones and barriers and nothing going on around them. Both local residents and the traders who are losing money are getting pretty fed up with this and I am now urging the company to raise their game and put more resources into the task, to try and finish it as quickly as possible so that everyone can then get on with their lives, free from this disruption.""
