TfL attacks delays on bridge repair

London transport bosses today voiced frustration at continuing delays to work on Albert Bridge that has caused months of traffic chaos.

The bridge has been closed since February last year in a fiasco that has become symbolic of the havoc roadworks create on London's roads.

Kensington and Chelsea council chiefs now claim the repairs, above, will be completed by the end of the year, but the works have already overrun several times.

Garrett Emmerson, chief operating officer, surface transport, for TfL, said: "We are urging the council to work longer hours but there are issues with residents and noise. We are continually pushing them to get this work done as soon as possible."

Local traders today claimed the work had turned the area into a "ghost town". Frank Cappalonga, director of Uffizi hair salon in Battersea, said: "We have been made to suffer for far too long. Boris should have sorted this out years ago."

Martin Lam, 56, owner of Ransome's Dock restaurant, said: "I am very glad Boris is doing something, but it is massively overdue."

Meanwhile, shop owners in central London today told how "constant roadworks" devastate trade for small businesses.

Tim Bryars, 37, an antique map and book seller in Cecil Court, off Charing Cross Road, told how he suffered "an appalling time of it" last year as a series of companies performed major works in St Martin's Lane. Mr Bryars said: "What Boris is doing is something I really welcome. Roadworks can have such a major impact on businesses."