Peak District pub "just trying to survive" after road closed for a year

It comes as the A625 Froggat has been closed since May 16 last year – with the exception for a few weeks last Autumn.

The road suffered a burst water main in January of last year with one house flooded as a result. Severn Trent carried out emergency repairs to a water main from May 16 until September before the road re-opened for ‘around five or six weeks’: the road has been closed since November for new pipes to be installed.

Jonathan Tindall, who has owned The Chequers Inn for 21 years, says he understands the need for the works to be carried out but that it has ‘wiped out all passing trade’.

He explained: “It’s just sod’s law that as we’re coming out of Covid and looking to rebuild we are then hit with two sets of closures that reduces our passing trade to zero. We are just trying to survive and it’s not going to finish us off but we are losing out.

“We have a strong, pre-existing customer base but it’s the spring and summer, when tourists are going through the Peak District, that we’re just not able to get that passing trade.”

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Timothy Ip, community communications manager at Severn Trent, said: “We are currently replacing 2.5km of water pipes located under the A625 near Froggatt. In order to keep our teams and other road users safe and for the project to be completed as quickly as possible, the A625 will be closed to through-traffic during the works. Vehicles will be diverted via the A621 Sheffield Road to Owler Bar.“The diversion is signposted, and access has been retained for homes and businesses including The Chequers and The Grouse, and for emergency vehicles. We would like to apologies for any inconvenience while we make this important upgrade to our network and thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”

Work is due to be completed by the end of June but the pub’s owner said it was ‘one of the hardest times’ he’s experienced since running the pub in 2002.

He added: “We are still here, we’re open for business, and we understand that the works need to be done, but it’s caved our momentum.”