Car business says flyover works have killed trade

A business owner has said he will close his car repair garage because over-running works at a busy flyover nearby has "killed" trade.

Dave Thompson, 61, from Billericay in Essex, said he had suffered a 70% drop in custom.

Refurbishment to the Gallows Corner flyover in Romford, east London, began in May 2025 and work was expected to be completed by September, but it is now not expected to reopen until April.

Transport for London (TfL) said it was "working hard to complete the remaining work as quickly as possible".

The flyover - apart from its foundation - is being replaced. New pedestrian and cycle crossings are being installed.

Thompson's business, which he has run for 11 years, is located a stone's throw from the Gallows Corner junction, which has been closed off to traffic.

He says the diversions are taking some customers as much as 50 minutes to drive to the garage, when it would usually take them five minutes.

"Nobody wants to come here anymore," he said.

"We can't sustain the losses anymore so as of the end of the month, we're calling it a day."

Ray Rajput, 45, from Chigwell, has run a cricket training facility near Gallows Corner for 18 months, but said he was "fighting for survival".

"We have lost at least 60% of our business," he told the BBC.

"I would never have opened this facility had I known this was going to happen, it's been a disaster.

"I stopped paying my business rates to get their attention on the matter because we wanted the council to re-evaluate our rates."

Louise Wotton, 40, who has run a beauty and skin care clinic in nearby Gidea Park for 16 years, said it had been the worst period for her business since the Covid-19 lockdowns.

"Our takings are down by 30%," she said.

"People cannot get here and if they try, they just get stuck in traffic so it's been a nightmare for us."

Stuart Harvey, TfL's chief capital officer, said he was "sorry for the disruption" caused.

"We have worked with everyone involved to ensure that the work is carried out with the least amount of additional disruption," he said.

"This will ensure the flyover can serve people in the area for generations to come."

Ray Morgon, the independent leader of Havering Council, said the authority was exploring compensation for people affected by the "prolonged disruption".

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