A LOCAL business owner said he had “the worst day” of his 30 years in business when his shop was barricaded off due to roadworks last week.
Concerns have been raised about the road and pavement works to improve internet connectivity taking place on Oxford Road.
Residents and businesses in Reading have complained about full fibre roll-out works being undertaken by CityFibre outside Music Man, 207 Oxford Road, and other shops.
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Peter Sirrell, owner of Music Man, said: “Thursday was the worst day of my 30 years in business as Music Man on the Oxford Road.
“I arrived at the shop to find the whole shop front barricaded off. No warning and obstructive workers who said they would let my customers in and out through the barricades.
“In the end, I had to call their supervisor to open up the barricades to the shop.
“It wasn’t worth it in the end. The noise and mess around the shop kept people away.
“Traffic jams are also horrendous in various stages of the Oxford Road and are diverting cars through Tilehurst Road or Portman Road.”
The works are due to be completed on August 13, according to Reading Borough Council.
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Another resident, Stephen Graham, has raised concerns on Twitter about how long the works are taking.
He tweeted: “Pedestrian obstacle course – how much longer will this we have to put up with this?”
As part of a £58m private investment from CityFibre, Reading is getting a town-wide full fibre network roll-out, with works having started in January this year.
Stacey King, CityFibre’s city manager for Reading, said: “We’re sorry to learn about the issue raised by residents and want to reassure them that we always endeavour to minimise any disruption and complete all works as quickly as possible.
“The works on Oxford Road is part of our digital infrastructure work across the city and work on the road is due to be completed within the next couple of weeks.
“We can assure residents that we do everything in our power to inform the community well ahead of work starting, which includes direct mail, press and speaking directly to individuals.
“If it’s safe to do so, our contractors are also happy to move barriers when requested by businesses and residents.
“We are grateful for the continued support we’ve received from the local community and ask that they continue to bear with us while we work to future-proof Reading’s digital infrastructure.”
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