Businesses around Hammersmith Broadway struggled from noise and disruption as pavements were dug up for repair work.

Drilling by Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s contractors, Conway FM, started on January 13 to lay new paving slabs, plant new trees and install cycle stands. The work was expected to be finished by the time the Chronicle went to press. Businesses say they have struggled during nearly two months of works and several traders said they were not warned about the work.

Jean-Marc Czeryba, of Cafe Creme, in Shepherd’s Bush Road, said: “It’s really affected my business, my regular customers have continued to come in but they’ve told me they’re sorry but they can’t hold meetings in the cafe like they normally would because it’s just too noisy. Since it started I haven’t really had any passers-by just coming in.

“In the seven years I’ve been here they’ve re-done the pavement two or three times before this but they’ve never re-surfaced the road. The road is appalling, it’s like a third world country, with so many pot holes, I don’t understand why they have to do the pavements again when the road is the real issue.”

The council is actually due to resurface Shepherd's Bush Road, starting on March 10 until March 15.

Nando’s restaurant, opposite Hammersmith Broadway shopping centre, has also been suffering because of the works. Manager Daniel Newman, said: “Customers keep asking to be sat at the back of the restaurant because dust is coming inside and settling on the windows which isn’t good when we’re serving food. We always have music playing but it doesn’t drown out the noise of the workmen cutting paving slabs right outside our door. We can’t understand why they have to cut the slabs here, it’s incredibly noisy.

“We’ve also lost customers because they cannot queue outside the door as they normally would because there’s no room on the pavement.”

Several businesses occupy offices in 20 Hammersmith Broadway next to Nando’s and the building’s manager has been in constant contact with the council, asking for a solution to the lack of a loading bay to help businesses in and around the building with their deliveries.

But the council told them they could not use the disused space around the corner outside the Hammersmith and City Line, which is owned by TfL, because it was too expensive to take the barriers down.

The council's transport and technical services chief, Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, said: “All businesses were told about the pavement improvements, which have already been completed, and we have been in constant contact with Hammersmith BID about the work.”

Belushi’s bar and cafe next door also had problems with their drinks deliveries because the trap door outside was covered over by barriers, preventing staff from bringing barrels into the cellar.