Our town centre road is reopening - I hope my customers return

Traders in a south of Scotland town say they hope their customers will return when a six-week road closure with a 50-mile (80km) diversion is lifted later this week.

The A76 through Sanquhar has been shut to allow work to go ahead on the historic Tolbooth Museum.

Charles Brown, who runs the local newsagent, said he had lost a "lot of trade" due to parking restrictions put in place during the closure.

Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) thanked everyone for their patience and said the road would be ready to reopen - on schedule - at 18:00 on Friday.

The road has been shut since 1 June in order for work to be carried out the stonework of the museum.

The A76 - the main route between Dumfries and Kilmarnock - narrows next to the historic building and the local authority said full closure was the only option in order to carry out the works safely.

However, businesses in the town said it had been "absolute chaos" with takings down and problems with lorries which had not taken the alternative route indicated.

Local access has been maintained throughout but the official diversion - on routes suitable for HGVs - takes southbound traffic off at Cumnock on the A70 and on to Thornhill via the B7078 and A702, or the reverse for vehicles heading north.

Brown, who warned of his concerns before the works began, said he hoped people would return once the road was cleared on Friday evening.

"I've lost a lot of trade - especially first thing in the morning because of the no parking restrictions on the high street," he said.

"I'm down at least 20% overall.

"Hopefully, once it's all over the customers will return but, after going elsewhere for six weeks, they might not."

He said he was also concerned that there could be more closures later in the summer to put a power cable in the area.

"I sometimes wonder whether it's all worth it," he admitted.

The council confirmed this week that the conservation work was nearing completion and all traffic restrictions would be removed by 18:00 on Friday when the A76 would "fully reopen".

It thanked residents, businesses and road users for their patience while the "essential works" were carried out to "protect and preserve" the building.

It said contractors would complete the removal of scaffolding and final site clearance ahead of the reopening.

Meanwhile, another travel issue in the region also looks set to be over by the end of the week.

Scottish Water has been working on the Annan Road in Dumfries since a sinkhole emerged at the end of May.

A statement said: "Our teams have been making good progress and the damaged section of sewer itself has now been repaired.

"We are currently constructing a new manhole and will shortly begin the process of backfilling the excavation and reinstating the road.

"Depending on progress and ground conditions, we hope to be in a position to reopen the road by the end of this week."