A VILLAGE shop has had to make cuts to its workforce to survive the lengthy bridge closure in Tilford, the manager has said.

Work at Tilford East Bridge to build a temporary footbridge finally resumed last Thursday (August 22) after a nine-week delay caused by unmapped utility cables.

The bridge will be closed for around five weeks, Monday to Friday. On the first day of work (Thursday), the bridge was closed from 10am to 7pm, but will now be closed between 7.30am and 5pm until this phase of work is complete. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians throughout the work.

Work on the main bridge structure is then set to start, with the scheme expected to last around ten months.

But the manager at Tilford Village Shop & Cafe, Leena Paul, told the Herald they had already started preparing for the closure, including reducing labour costs and thinking about cutting opening hours.

Leena said: “The shop has also partnered with Spar to attract more customers to the village shop.

“The works hit the business at the peak of summer when we may have made loads of sales.

“Work was then due to resume on August 15, which meant we lost regular customers even though works hadn’t started.

“We were preparing mentally to handle the stress as we want to keep our hopes high and have a positive mentality.

“There’s always hope at the end of the tunnel.

“We’re pleased to serve our customers and love the village, but it’s a shame this is so drastic.”

David Harmer, Surrey county councillor for Waverley Western Villages, said there was a “question mark” over the start date of the next set of works.

“We will then be into October and the project can’t be done if it freezes,” he said.

“Is it worth starting on the main bridge then – or waiting until spring and knowing everything in place?

“We don’t know the answer at the moment.

“But I am pleased it’s proceeding because it needs to be done and we’re confident it will be done by the end of 2020.”

Sheephatch Lane, Tilford, is also set to remain closed throughout the Tilford bridge scheme to prevent overweight vehicles and other traffic using Sheephatch as an alternative diversion and damaging the bridge, according to an online alert at roadworks.org It states the closure will be in place until June 26, 2020.

* Find out more about the bridge scheme at tinyurl.com/y5a973g7. Shop customers should call 01252 792258 to pre-order any fresh produce or to use the cafe space.