Traders in Lochee have hit out at roadworks that they claim are forcing customers to go elsewhere.
Business owners say the CityFibre work, which started a month ago, has run for longer than expected.
And with the work set to continue for another two to three weeks, many fear for the impact on the upcoming busy Christmas trading period.
It comes after a local publican raised similar concerns about the work, claiming he had lost custom.
The cabling work is part of a £40 million fibre optic project across the city.
Tina Tippet, owner of Alex Spinks & Sons fishmonger on Lochee High Street, said: “Our door has been open through the whole pandemic so that it’s one less point of contact.
“But when they’re digging and it’s noisy, the door is closed and people just think we’re closed.
“I drove past the Ancrum Arms before and you wouldn’t even have thought it was open.
“A lot of people can’t just quickly jump out of the car and nip into our shop any more, so they’re going elsewhere.
“It’s affected our income quite a bit, especially because Lochee High Street is known for having fish Fridays so it can be really busy, especially on pay days.
“The last pay day Friday, we lost between £400 and £500. That’s an awful lot.”
MacDonald & Son Butchers is also among the firms claiming to have lost income as a result of the work.
Jason Mcphee, the shop manager, said: “There definitely has been a drop in footfall.
“A lot of the elderly people that stay here say they haven’t been coming up because of the noise.
“They’ve been working here off and on, and it was supposed to be a quick job.
“We’ve been having to shut our door a lot when it’s been really noisy and you can’t hear the customers and they can’t hear you, so people have been thinking the shop was closed.
“It’s been a bit slower, especially on the days where it’s been really noisy. I don’t know why it’s taken so long.
“Christmas is usually a busy time for us as well, so we’re hoping it’s sorted by then.”
Ahmed Salehi, manager of Magic Scissors, says his Kurdish barbers has also experienced a drop in trade.
He said: “We had access, but it was no parking and the road was closed.
“Most people, when they don’t have parking, they won’t be coming down.
“The shop was still open but it wasn’t like normal – we had fewer customers.
“Some people thought we were closed and others didn’t want to come because of the noise.
“It was very hard working here all day with the noise. It was all day. But the work has to be done, so there’s nothing you can do about that.
“It’s OK now, it’s getting back to normal.”
Charlie Malone, a councillor for the ward, has echoed the concerns of traders.
He said: “I share the dismay of many of the local businesses across the ward but particularly in Lochee, with the disruption caused by the CityFibre broadband project.
“Local businesses already facing the impact of Covid have witnessed a sharp decline in trade since the project began, with barriers erected impacting on accessibility.
“Too often, owners have been told the disruption would last days but now it seems it takes weeks.
“We rely on small retail outlets to maintain community resilience, it would appear this is being tested.”
Allan McEwan, CityFibre’s city manager for Dundee, said: “We’re sorry to hear these concerns from businesses in Lochee High Street and want to reassure them we are continuing to work closely with our build partner and the authorities to manage any disruption while we deliver the works as quickly as possible.
“We know that the most disruptive elements of the work are now complete and we are now focusing on ensuring each property can gain easy access to the new network once live.
“We estimate this will take another two to three weeks and our build partner will continue to keep speaking with businesses in the area to keep them informed.
“We’d like to thank everyone for bearing with us as we deliver this critical infrastructure work.
“Once complete, businesses and residents in the area will have access to future-proof digital connectivity that will not need to be replaced for decades to come.”
