A FURIOUS businessman has told how his firm is facing financial ruin due to a year-long road closure which has wiped out more than half of his trade.

Ardgowan Fishery owner Robert Kirkpatrick says Inverclyde Council’s closure of a section of Dunrod Road since last July over safety fears has caused his firm's footfall to plummet and his costs to spiral.

Robert says he has been left 'hundreds of thousands of pounds' out of pocket. 

The countryside road was shut after huge cracks appeared across the breadth of it.

The now-sealed route connected businesses like Mr Kirkpatrick’s to Greenock and Inverkip. 

The stretch of road has been affected by landslips in the past, including one more than a decade ago which saw it shut for almost a year.

Mr Kirkpatrick believes time is running out for the people and businesses who rely on the route and he has launched a petition calling on the council to find a long-term solution as quickly as possible.

He said: “My business is suffering massively.

"I’ve been losing between 50 and 70 per cent of my custom for the last year. 

“I can’t get deliveries, if I order something for the fishery it just doesn’t come. 

“The treatment we’ve received from Inverclyde Council throughout this whole thing has been horrendous, they’ve not been communicating well with us. 

“I eventually got a meeting with senior members of the council and they came up and admitted to us that their communication was really bad and that they were going to work on it. 

“But we’ve since found out that was nonsense because they’ve not communicated with us at all.”

Greenock Telegraph: Robert Kirkpatrick Dunrod Road closure

Mr Kirkpatrick says the closure of the road has had a greater impact on his livelihood than the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 42-year-old claims the local authority repeatedly ignored his warnings about the vital route’s deteriorating condition. 

He said: “We told them at the time of the last big closure that the problem wasn’t fixed because the water was running out from the Greenock Cut and causing it. 

“We’ve been reporting it for four years and it’s still not been put right, what they’ve done now is just shut the road completely. 

“It’s appalling, this is a public road. If it was any other road in Inverclyde it would have been fixed instantly. 

“There are ones in Inverclyde getting resurfaced now that have nothing wrong with them.” 

Greenock Telegraph: Robert Kirkpatrick Dunrod Road closure

Robert says he's already had to slash his staff by half due to spiralling costs but he fears he may have to make further reductions just to survive the winter. 

He estimates his working day is now three hours longer due to the closure and says he has to drive around 40 to 50 miles more. 

He added:  “It’s wiping out my business.

"I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive this winter coming because I have to make my money in the summer time to cover me through the winter, and we’re not going to have that this year. 

“Inverclyde Council have the sole responsibility for this business being about to go under.

“It’s not as if we’re asking for something that they’re not meant to be doing anyway.

“We’re not the only people who live and work up here that are affected.

"You've also got the visitors' centre here that the council have spent lots of money fixing up, but nobody can get to it properly because of the road closure.

“We’ve asked for temporary fixes like a Bailey bridge that would let us use the road until such time as they are ready to do the work, but at the moment nothing is being done. 

“The only work that’s been done is to stop us from using the road. 

“It’s killing us.

“We’ve launched the petition as a last resort, we’re basically trying to embarrass the council into doing something. 

“We’ve tried to be diplomatic, but it’s been four years now and nothing’s sorted.” 

In response to Mr Kirkpatrick’s concerns, an Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “The road remains closed for safety reasons.

“The road has, in the past, been affected by landslip and repairs were carried out a number of years ago but there are once again concerns about movement of the slope which is why it is closed.

“We understand the inconvenience this is causing and are working as quickly as we can to find a suitable, long-term solution.”

Mr Kirkpatrick's petition to re-open the road can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/58ckhzub