Party marks the end of Telford roadworks grief

Kevin Turley was today throwing a celebration party at Lakeside Garden Centre in Priorslee, Telford, as a thank you to customers who remained loyal while resurfacing work was being carried out on Castle Farm Way.

The party will also mark the garden centre's 10th birthday.

Emergency roadworks were carried out after routine resurfacing revealed problems below the top of the road. The work, which started in April, finally finished on Thursday and Mr Turley said footfall at the centre was down 25 per cent in April alone.

The road is once again open to two-way traffic, although a small amount of work is still to be finished. But Telford & Wrekin Council say that should be completed without any major disruption.

Mr Turley said: "We hope now people know the roadworks are over they will start coming into the centre.

"We saw a drop of around 25 per cent in the amount of visitors since the work began at the start of the year. Even people who would pop into the cafe for a quick lunch weren't coming due to the roadworks.

"Now the road is back open we are inviting people to come and celebrate with us today here at the centre. We will have a hog roast and bouncy castles, and Exotic Zoo will be here with a variety of animals for people to pet.

"I would just like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and the Shropshire Star for getting the word out there that we were still open."

The celebration day was taking place from 9.30am today and will run during the centre's opening hours.

Emily Knightley, spokeswoman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "We're pleased that Castle Farm Way is now open again to two-way traffic.

"All resurfacing work has been completed and what work remains, such as line painting, can be completed without major disruption."