BUSINESSES in the New Street area of Worcester say the closure of a busy city footbridge will "kill trade" for a host of independent shops.

The pedestrian bridge from St Martin's Gate car park to New Street in Worcester city centre will be closed for around six weeks from Tuesday for resurfacing and repainting works.

Traders said a previous closure of the passage at the end of the Windsor Row footbridge for a few days in April caused enough trouble, but that a six week closure would be "awful" for business.

Sally Blundell, who has run Exchange and Smart for the best part of two decades, said: "This closure will kill trade here. We just won't get any footfall. Footfall has already dropped since the arrival of Asda, so it's already a fight for us. We just won't have business for six weeks.

"We weren't even told about this closure. We had a leaflet come through about the work planned for the Corn Market but it didn't mention the bridge closure."

Jeweller Ian Quartermaine said business will be "badly affected".

"We get between 600 and 800 people cross the bridge each day in to New Street, which is fantastic for us. This will take that away," he said.

Wendy Edwards, who owns Brimstone Gallery and Gifts in Reindeer Court, said she was "upset" to hear about the closure.

"This will just make things even worse for us," she said.

"The bridge is our main source of footfall. To close it will be bad, but it's even worse to close it at this time. May is a quiet month usually, but from now it starts to pick up. That won't happen if the bridge is closed. Things had improved slightly since Asda put up their parking prices, as more people have been parking in St Martin's."

Simon Benhamou from Fuel said the passing trade from the bridge is "very important".

"At the end of the day if people can't walk across the bridge they will go elsewhere and we will lose out. I know the work has to be done, and it's hard to ask them to do it after 5pm. I'm sure that would cost the council more. But at the end of the day we all pay rates, and we shouldn't have to worry about something like this."

According to Worcestershire County Council, the bridge is currently in a poor condition with a blocked and damaged drainage system, loose coping stones, deteriorating railings and poor quality surfacing, which is particularly dangerous in freezing conditions.

The bridge should reopen on July 2, and John Smith OBE, cabinet member for Highways said it is a "necessary closure".

"This closure is necessary to keep this busy link in a safe and usable condition," he said.

"The scheme will involve the complete restoration of this bridge to a high standard, providing an attractive traffic free route into the City Centre from the St Martin's Gate multi-storey car park and the residential areas to the east of the city. It will significantly improve both the access to and attractiveness of this part of the City Centre in future.

"However, we are aware of potential effects for local trade. In the interim, an alternative signed pedestrian route will be in place using the pedestrian crossing over City Walls Road. Pedestrians will then have the choice of either accessing the city centre via Charles Street, which is step free, or Nash's Passage, which involves a small number of steps."