Emergency road repairs forcing the closure of Monifieth High Street continued into the evening on Wednesday after residents complained they were not being treated with enough urgency.
Scottish Water’s work to fix a deteriorating manhole in the middle of the road started on Monday without any warning for traders and is expected to take five days.
However, as High Street shops suffered loss of business, owners were disappointed to see work on site finish at 4pm earlier in the week and claimed the work is not being treated “as an emergency”.
Amanda King, of Ellen King Flowers, said: “On Monday and Tuesday they finished before 4pm. It seemed to me they were taking their time, which was bizarre.
“I thought if it is supposed to be such an emergency, why aren’t they working late?
“Then I had a guy from Scottish Water come in yesterday, apologise and tell me they would be working late.
“It is causing quite a bit of inconvenience and the whole High Street has been affected. I hope it is going to finish soon.”
Commenting this site, one reader said: “Why is this work not 24/7 if it is an emergency?”
Another local resident posted: “The hole in the road has been there for a couple of weeks, plenty of time to inform businesses in advance of works.
“And there was no sign of activity there at either 4.30pm or 8.30am, so they are hardly busting a gut to get it done quickly.”
A Scottish Water spokesman apologised to those affected and said the contractor has been instructed to complete the work “as soon as possible” so the street can be restored to normality.
He said: “Our contractor had to source all the materials needed to complete this essential repair to the manhole. The repair will be completed as quickly as possible.
“We are grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”