A MIDDLEWICH businessman fears that the six-month closure of one of the major routes into the town could bankrupt his small haulage company.

Booth Lane will shut in January between Cross Lane and Long Lane South as part of an essential £10million project to end flooding affecting more than 40 homes.

But Alan Barr, who runs BHP Transport in Cledford Lane, reckons the diversion route will cost him an extra £5,350 a week and has entered what he describes as a ‘David and Goliath’ battle with United Utilities.

He said: “This will bankrupt us. United Utilities’ intransigence is just unbelievable.

“These are conservative costs. My business doesn’t make £5,350 a week profit – I wish it did.

“They’ve got to compensate me or relocate me. You can’t do all this work unless you consider the implications to local business people.”

Mr Barr, who employs 15 people, made his calculation based on the 40 journeys a day he says his employees make delivering containers to and from a depot in Winsford.

The diversion will take his drivers through Sandbach and Holmes Chapel before arriving in Winsford.

Mr Barr added: “I’ve driven this route in my car and it’s 12 miles.

“I’ve invested half a million pounds and my pension and everything is wrapped up in this business and I’m not prepared to throw it away.

“But I have a commitment to deliver this stuff. Times are hard. All my employees are concerned.

“They’ve got families and mortgages and financial commitments. I’m very disturbed about it.”

Christian Ewen, a spokesman for United Utilities, said: “We have been in contact with Mr Barr to discuss his concerns and we will advise him of available options following further investigations.

“While we appreciate that the traffic management plans for this scheme will cause some inconvenience, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are delivering a solution to a very unpleasant problem.

“This work is designed to prevent sewer flooding to more than 40 properties in the area.

“We are working closely with the local council and the traffic management has been implemented in accordance with the council’s highways authority’s wishes.”

But Mr Barr added: “The issue will come to a head on January 4 when all these works start and the road is blocked off.

“It also affects British Salt and Ideal Standard but these are big companies that can stand the cost. I can’t.”

At the recent meeting of Middlewich Town Council, councillors agreed that they needed to ‘prepare for the consequences’ of the road closure and said that they fear that it will cause chaos.