A ROAD closure which businesses in the upper Dales say has cost them trade is to be lifted this weekend.

The route between Hawes and Hardraw was closed on August 17 after a river, swollen by torrential rain, washed away part of a bridge wall, rendering the road unsafe.

Consultants Mouchel had just started scheduled repairs on the bridge for North Yorkshire County Council when the flood hit and traffic lights were replaced with a complete road closure.

Graham Lishman, of Mouchel, said: "The road will be re-opened this weekend and the work will take another five to six weeks, during which time there will be traffic lights. The fact that the wall was washed away showed the urgency of this work."

Crayfish had been removed from the river before work began, on the instructions of the Environment Agency, but this had not held up the project.

Businesses in the area say trade was hit during the road closure and claimed that diversion signs were inadequate.

Jill Stott, who runs Simonstone Hall Hotel, estimated about 30pc of its lunchtime and evening dining trade was lost.

"Some nights in the bar we have had nobody in and August is normally very busy," she said. "Last Sunday we had 20 people in for lunch and we would normally expect 40 or 50.

"The diversion signs were not adequate, they just said that the road was closed, We has a wedding at the weekend and guests had terrible trouble, in fact two people were late because they had got into the centre of Hawes and the diversion signs just weren't clear enough."

Mr Lishman said signs were improved immediately following representations to the county council from upper Dales councillor John Blackie.

A meeting of Hawes and High Abbotside Parish Council on Monday heard that a number of other businesses had suffered during the road closure. They included felt artist Andrea Hunter, who has a studio at Hardraw, the Green Dragon pub in the village and Swaledale Woollens, at Muker in the neighbouring dale.

Hardraw resident Howard Buffett said the road closure had followed problems caused by lengthy roadworks in the centre of Hawes earlier in the summer.

* A short section of the minor road east of Springfield House, Worton, near Bainbridge, is to be closed for two days from Monday to allow a water supply connection. Pedestrian access is maintained and an alternative route will be signposted.