A DECISION to halt Metro train services to South Tyneside over Easter has received a cool reception from a borough ice cream boss.
The timing could not be worse for traders in South Shields after transport operator Nexus announced a four-day major line closure in Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland to allow for multi-million pound modernisation work.
The line closure is between Gateshead Stadium and Hebburn and Brockley Whins stations from Friday, March 29, Good Friday, until Monday, April 1, Easter Monday.
Although Nexus has promised to lay on replacement buses in the affected areas, the impact on traders in the town could be substantial.
The Easter weekend period is traditionally one of the busiest of the year in South Shields.
There’s a Good Friday march through the centre of town, the official launch of the season at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park and pubs, shops and cafés, particularly close to the foreshore, are usually bustling.
Michael Minchella, who owns two ice cream cafés in Ocean Road and Sea Road has expressed his disappointment at the timing. He said: “If the weather is good over the Easter Bank Holiday, we can expect a lot of people in the town.
“We’ve had a long winter, and that weekend represents the signs of spring and, hopefully, the sun starting to come out.
“There are plenty of quiet times outside the holiday period when it would have been less disruptive.
“In an ideal world, we would have preferred the suspension of service then.”
Twitter@shieldsgazpaul
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