WITH the town centre regeneration scheme now at a crucial stage, many traders in Cirencester are simply having to grit their teeth and endure challenging conditions.

No doubt there is plenty of excitement for the completion of the project to further pedestrianise the Market Place, an idea which has been in the pipeline for 50 years, but there is now a growing fear that the work could jeopardise all-important Christmas sales.

As many shop owners have said, the festive season, which begins in just 10 weeks, can make or break a retailer’s year, particularly an independent one, which relies heavily on passing trade.

Many weren’t expecting such a drop in sales with some blaming poor traffic routing and a lack of signage making it clear that businesses are open.

It looks like a classic case of short term pain for long term gain.

Or so we hope.