Narrow-minded approach to blame

Dear Sir,

Following your article, in last week's Chronicle, (p27) on the saga following the road works on the railway bridge at High Town, Congleton, it occurs to me that highways, or whoever is responsible for these and other disruptions around Congleton has no idea of the fickle nature of some of the customers of local shops.

Many of these independent retail outlets depend on passing trade to make up their income beyond loyal local customers.

This trade has a host of retail offerings that they can easily visit if their usual one becomes inconvenient to access.

Once they lose it, it becomes, at the least challenging to regain it.

Most have low margins and this trade can make the difference between getting by and becoming unviable.

It is this narrow-minded approach by those taking on necessary road repairs and alterations with little public accountability that bears much of the responsibility for not trying harder to mitigate their long-term effects.

Yours faithfully,

(DR) PETER HIRST

Middlewich.