Bull and Dog bosses say junction works have been a nightmare

Back in November, St Helens Council announced that as part of its commitment to active travel and achieving net zero by 2040, they planned to install a CYCLOPS (Cycle Optimised Protected Signals) junction in Lea Green.

It is the first of its kind in Merseyside - which has replaced the roundabout by the Bull and Dog pub.

The new junction

The CYCLOPS - which claims to prioritise the safety of pedestrians and cyclists - segregates cyclists from motorists, aiming to reduce the possibility of collisions or conflict – while making pedestrian crossing times quicker.

Roadworks have caused enormous disruption (Image: Submitted)

However, partial and often almost full road closures have been in place throughout, severely affecting the neighbouring businesses, particularly the Bull and Dog pub.

Despite St Helens Council claiming the works will be completed by Monday, September 4 – just five days ahead of Reminisce Festival in nearby Sherdley Park – Bull and Dog landlords Mike Fishwick and Sara Cunningham say their business has been "severely affected".

An 'absolute nightmare'

Speaking to the Star, the pair said: “From start to end the entire thing has been an absolute nightmare.

“We took over this pub in November 2019, in March 2020 we had the first lockdown, so after a difficult few years we have been doing well establishing ourselves until this work started, which was supposed to be over by April.

“When the council first came to see me and Sara they said it wouldn’t affect the business, that partial road closures would be in place and change when one bit was done and move on to another bit but that’s never happened.

“From the start the whole thing had problems, right now the only way people can access the pub is via Chester Lane, meaning if they were coming from town they would have to drive down the linkway and Eurolink to Walkers Lane and down Chester Lane to get to us.

“Our accountant says business is down on average 60 per cent because people either don’t know if we are open or don’t want the hassle of visiting with the roadworks.

“Our delivery drivers have said numerous times they aren’t delivering because at times workers fully close off the entire entrance to the pub car park and our bins haven’t been emptied in over two weeks because the bin men can’t get to us.

St Helens Council now says it expects the works to be complete by early September (Image: Submitted)

“To say we are disgusted with how we have been treated is an understatement.

“Workers even said that the initial layout wasn’t right because arctic wagons couldn’t manoeuvre around the new designed roundabout so they’ve had to redesign it and there was nothing wrong with the original roundabout we had anyway!”

Mike added that he has witnessed several minor crashes and near misses while work is currently underway.

He added: “The other week we had our bingo night and we heard a loud bang and this woman soon came in asking if she could leave her damaged car in our car park until someone came to tow it as it was damaged after being hit, because no one knows how the new layout works.

“On top of that workers have ripped up our car park to lay cables – which was given as an incentive to us for all of this as they promised to relay it nice – but we’ve been left with flooded areas and more potholes than before which they need to come and fix.

“We just worry that all of this will mean we might be forced to lay off workers, which we don’t want to do. We’ve already had to cut staff’s hours as we can’t afford to pay them and take on more work ourselves.

“Thankfully our brewery, Stonegate, are amazing and are helping us in seeking compensation for lost earnings and helping us through this time in whatever way they can, but it doesn’t take away all the stress.

“Summer is a busy time for pubs, graduations and everything and we’ve had our business massively affected and it’s all because of the CYCLOPS works.

“We just hope when this is finally over – just in time for Reminisce – that customers come and support us.”

Council's response

In a statement, St Helens Borough Council spokesperson said: “Due to its location on the road network and closeness to schools, Lea Green Railway Station, homes and businesses, the CYCLOPS junction has been a challenging project to deliver but one we have been determined to carry out with due consideration for everyone concerned.  

“Unfortunately, it is difficult to safeguard against all setbacks with projects of this scale and complexity, from disruptive weather to unforeseen infrastructure complications that have been encountered along the way, but we strived to maintain the momentum of delivery safely, communicating with residents and businesses throughout on any significant updates.  

"We are pleased to announce that work is coming to an end, with a completion date of Monday, September 4 set, subject to weather conditions, which will significantly enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, resulting in smoother journeys for all road users.”