Works delayed as contractor short of paving slabs

Major improvement works in a Surrey town have been held up after a contractor ran out of paving slabs, a move which one councillor said left her "gobsmacked".

Farnham has seen a year of road closures, with work beginning in February 2025 on behalf of Surrey County Council.

The authority said its contractor, Ringway, had not ordered enough material to complete the paving work in The Borough.

Ringway said the "unique" paving slab specified within the design had limited availability from a single UK supplier.

The council said it was pushing Ringway to speed up the works so that the road could be reopened to traffic as soon as possible.

It added that its position was that the outstanding works must not involve any further road closures and should therefore be overnight "to ensure the impact on the retailers, people and visitors of Farnham is minimal".

The authority added that the work would deliver wider pavements and safer and more pleasant surroundings for pedestrians.

Michaela Martin, a county councillor for the Residents' Association in Farnham South, said she was "really disappointed in Ringway", who had "let us down".

"I'm gobsmacked. As a retailer in Downing Street, I have to work a year ahead," she said.

"If it has to be a road closure again for the paving to be put down, it can only be done at night, and it will have to be at the expense of Ringway."

Businesses in Farnham have complained of the impact the works have had on trade.

Shopkeeper Ishmail Bashardoust told BBC Radio Surrey that he feared for the future of his business.

"They told us it would be finished end of March, but now they say it will be around November," he said.

"I don't know how we'll be able to cope that long/ We're struggling to make up the rent."

Miranda Shawcross, who lives in Farnham, said it was "disruptive in the immediate term", but added that she was "absolutely in favour of the improvements they are making".

A Ringway spokesperson said: "A unique paving slab was specified within the design to reflect the character of the area. This specialist material has limited availability from a single UK supplier.

"While we ordered the appropriate quantity with an expected wastage allowance, we have taken the decision to increase that allowance to achieve a higher quality, more consistent finish.

"This has required additional stock to be ordered, which is due to arrive in the coming weeks."

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