A SHOP owner has declared it is ‘business as usual’ after a major roadworks project caused customer numbers to plummet.

Wendy Harrop, who runs Ewood Dress Agency in Bolton Road, Blackburn, said she had noticed a ‘worrying’ drop in visitors since a £4million project to improve the Ewood Gyratory System started last month.

The businesswoman, whose family have managed the fashion store since 1977, said she had pleaded with Blackburn with Darwen Council and contractors Capita to do more to help out firms affected by the work.

Ms Harrop, 47, said many customers were unaware that access and parking outside the store, which is on a mainly residential stretch of the A666, remains.

She said: “I want people to know that we are still open and that you can still get here by car and park outside.

“There is work either side of us at the moment and I think a lot of people are not aware that they can still reach us. When you are actually stood in the shop, it doesn’t look like a problem, but there are signs up for diversions all around us.

“I think it will get worse when they actually start working on our stretch and it’s going to last for a whole year.”

The work in Ewood is part of the wider £40 million Pennine Reach project to cut bus journey times between Hyndburn, Blackburn and Darwen, which will eventually see Bolton Road turned into a bus and access-only route.

Ms Harrop added: “To be fair, every time I’ve been in contact with Capita, they’ve listened to my concerns and responded.

“There’s only us and The Iron Inn ironing service on this stretch and I just want our customers to know that we’re still here. The last thing want to do is close down a family business.”

Ewood councillor and regeneration spokeswoman, Maureen Bateson, said she was confident that the scheme would prove fruitful.

She said: “We are certainly doing all we can to ensure there is access for businesses. We haven’t closed the road at that point and if the businesses gets in touch I will happily go down and speak to them.

“It is a major scheme and there will be disruption but we hope to keep that to a minimum.”