Chard businesses say they have seen little uplift in their fortunes since restrictions in part of the town centre were lifted.

Holyrood Street was temporarily pedestrianised in June by Somerset County Council and South Somerset District Council, as part of a move to allow non-essential retailers to reopen.

The restrictions began being lifted on Friday (August 7) after funding from central government ran out, with traffic now being able to freely access the one-way street again.

But traders have said they are still reeling from the road closure – and don’t expect their fortunes to improve in the near-future.

Joe Bray, who runs Top Togs sports outlet, has adapted to local demands by selling face masks – but says his wider business has taken a big hit.

He said: “We’ve sold face mask after face mask – but the town is still dead, people still stay away.

“The closures were brought in to help with social distancing – but now that the government funding for this has run out, that seems to be less important now.

“Winter sports sales are going to be challenging – it’s going to be difficult for the next few months.”

Lloyd Lamptey works at Emery’s newsagents, and has noticed the street being generally quieter on his commute in from Combe St Nicholas.

He said: “When I come in for my evening shift, there are still some people in the street – but we have taken a hit in our daytime trade.”

Chris Dootson, manager of Proper Job, said visitors to Chard had grown accustomed to Holyrood Street being closed to traffic and were still staying away.

She said: “People have got used to the closure being in place, and trade is still pretty low.

“Independent businesses on the street have been hit quite badly. We hope it will improve soon.”

Simon Pym runs Cottage Chic arts and crafts store a couple of doors down – and feels frustrated by the councils’ decision to close Holyrood Street but leave the High Street untouched.

He said: “When the closure came in place, we still at the High Street open and queues outside all the banks. That should have been closed off.

“I asked the mayor if we could have had signs saying ‘businesses open as usual’ – but that led to nothing.

“I’ve still been selling small items, but my larger trade like rugs has suffered because people couldn’t get in to pick them up.

“Before the Lidl closed, people would park there and come up to this street – we’ve struggled since that left, and we’re struggling now.”

The county council said it had made the decision to reopen Holyrood Street to traffic after “reviewing footfall and listening to feedback from both shoppers and businesses”.

It added it would keep the situation under “constant review” to ensure businesses are operating safely and the risk to the public is not increased.

A spokesman said: “All feedback that has been received for this and all temporary schemes will be incorporated where possible into future plans to improve the pedestrian experience in Somerset.”