A construction firm has been fined £2,000 per day for delays to roadworks, which a Lincolnshire business says has cost them £100,000 in lost income.

The owner of Birchgrove Garden Centre, on the outskirts of Pinchbeck, which has been cut off from the town by roadworks on Surfleet Road, said the closure had been “devastating”, reports the BBC.

Lincolnshire County Council issued the fine after inspections of works revealed “limited to no activity taking place” when they were meant to.

Burmor Construction apologised for the delay, and said natural conditions were making the connection “very difficult”.

The work connects a new housing estate to utilities and had been due to finish almost four weeks ago. The council agreed to an initial two-week extension because of “difficult ground conditions” but refused a further delay to the project, instead issuing the fine for every day the works carried on beyond 22 March.

Gary Slator, managing director of the garden centre, said: “The impact on us has been devastating. We’ve been shut off from the town and there’s a 10-mile detour to get to us. By the end of this month, we’ll be £100,000 down in takings.”

He said he hoped the fine would “focus their minds on getting the job done quicker”.

Luke Boekstyn, director at Burmor Construction, said the firm was “naturally disappointed and apologetic” that the extension had been necessary.

“We are fighting against natural groundwater and running silts, making the connection very difficult,” he said.

He added he hoped the county council’s penalty could be used and recycled into the community rather than the authority’s purse.

Ashley Behan, traffic manager at the council, said: “I am extremely disappointed that road users, residents and local businesses will face yet more disruption as a result of continued delays to this developer-led scheme.”

(Picture: Yay Images)