MALVERN Wells businesses are set to see their trade suffer even more when county council contractors move in to carry out roadworks in August.

Traders are already reeling from the closure of the hills due to foot and mouth and the laying of new gas mains on Wells Road by Transco.

Now work on the resurfacing of the A449 could affect the same businesses for up to four weeks.

Businesses in the village are so disgruntled they appealed to Worcestershire County Council to put back the resurfacing, but to no avail.

"There was no consultation with us at all," said Christine Kenyon, of Malvern Wells Village Shop and Sub-Post Office. "What with the hills being closed because of foot and mouth, the businesses here have suffered. Transco was bad enough, then come August they're going to resurface. This is during the Three Counties Show and the school holidays. It seems like the last bit of summer business has been destroyed.

"We just wanted a little bit of understanding, to ask if they could postpone the resurfacing until the autumn and give us a chance to get a bit of business."

Mike Davis, of Worcestershire Highways Partnership, said that Transco had run into some problems with their work, which meant that it had taken longer than anticipated.

"This has put our scheme back once already," he said, "It's maintenance work on the lower end of Wells Road, where there is substandard skid resistance, so it's a safety concern."

Mr Davis added that the matter of timing was difficult.

"It does have to be done and the reason the school holiday was chosen was to avoid the extra traffic.

"We appreciate the concerns and have offered to arrange a meeting with the contractors, Tarmac, so that we can do everything we can to minimise the disruption."