Shopkeepers in Shrewsbury whose trade was decimated by the town’s explosion are still struggling to get enough business – more than six months after the devastating blast.

Traders claim some shoppers have stayed away from Mardol and the surrounding areas of the town since the January explosion after the road was hit by closures and concerns increased about safety in the area.

And despite demonstrations and a drive to ensure people knew the town was open for business, it has taken time for the trade to return.

Today traders said they were still struggling and wanted to forget the last six months – with one revealing building work will continue at his shop for another year due to structural damage.

But they said community spirit had helped them weather the storm.

Jill Box, manager at The King’s Head, stayed open throughout the night of the blast to cater for public, police and fire crews and she later received a plaque from the emergency services for her efforts.

She said: “Trade is beginning to pick up, but has taken a long time. After the blast nobody wanted to come into town; buses were dropping people off miles away and roads were closed off. People were just very dubious about the area. But the traders have stuck together and talked about what has happened.”

John Poole, who runs a photography business next door to the blast site, said he was likely to feel the effects for years to come.

He said: “It’s been awful, the footfall has dramatically reduced. With the demolition taking place next door we have seen cracks reappearing and I’m expecting the store to be a building site for another 12 months.

“I’m very concerned. It’s not just the explosion; the recession has also had an impact and the combination of the two has made things very tough.”

Hatice Celebi, who is partner in A Stitch in Time and whose husband runs The Star Kebab and Pizza, said: “I do not want to think about the last six months, I now only think about the future. Our windows were blown out in the blast and my children were afraid to go home after the recent fire at the site. It is still affecting us today and all the business here have struggled.”

Kathy Conlon-Bailey, manager of Relate Charity Shop, said trade was still not 100 per cent but customers had been a huge support.

Katie Mason and Hayley Dunbar, sisters who run Parlour hair and beauty salon, have only been trading for a year. Katie said: “Our client base has been building steadily. We have interior work which has been put back because of the blast but it has really brought the trading community together.”