A PUB landlord is angry after a water company completely blocked off his road for several days without notice, disrupting himself and other rural businesses.

Gary Whitby, owner of the Bear and Ragged Staff in Bransford, said there was “no logical reason” for Severn Trent Water (STW) to close all of Station Road while engineers repaired a burst pipe.

The road was closed on Sunday (November 25) with closure signs put up immediately, according to Mr Whitby, causing a “dramatic reduction in clientele” on one of his busiest days.

The closure remained in place until Wednesday, but the landlord, who has run the pub for 21 years, said for a full two days, no workers were even on site as the repairs appeared to be complete.

He said the work was concentrated entirely in the hedges at the side of the road, so the full closure was unnecessary.

“During the multitude of leakages along this road in the past, one-way traffic has always been maintained, reflecting the sheer indifference shown by STW to other business interests in the district,” he added.

He went on to say that STW should have place signs advising that businesses were open and accessible as usual, despite the road closure, and said the signs were positioned badly, causing traffic hazards.

Ron Taylor, who owns Bransford Game Fisheries, said the closure shows “blatant disregard for the interests of small rural businesses”.

He often has around 12 people come to fish each day, but for two days during the works, had no customers at all.

Mr Whitby said the closure also meant an eight-mile diversion for staff, customers and villagers, while local farmers had to make 16-mile round trips to access their animals and land.

He added, it is the third time this year a full road closure has been implemented by STW without prior notice to traders.

A STW spokeswoman said: “We’re really sorry for the inconvenience caused, but we needed to fully close the road to keep our teams and other road users safe as we carried out the essential repairs.”

Any businesses concerned about loss of profits can contact the STW compensation team on businesscompensation@severntrent.co.uk.