THE owner of an Enniskillen car wash has said he has "lost thousands" due to disruption from ongoing roadworks. 

Sharman Varma, who is based on the Sligo Road, said that cable works from Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) have "caused havoc" for his car washing and valeting business, with customers experiencing major difficulty getting in and out of his premises. 

"This has been a nightmare for me," he told The Impartial Reporter. 

"The work has hindered passing trade, which my business needs to work. People aren't coming in because it's simply too difficult for them. 

"I didn't wash a single car all last week, and over the past three weeks, I have washed hardly any. This is having a detrimental impact on my business. I haven't earned a penny!"

The single-lane closure is being carried out to facilitate NIE cable-laying,  and work is set to end on Friday of this week.

The work has also caused traffic delays and disruption, which Mr. Varma feels has further impacted trade, as "people are bypassing the Sligo Road and instead going via Old Rossorry".

"It's a tough economic climate, and the likes of this doesn't help," he continued. "Recently there were 2,000 people in Enniskillen at the Lough Erne Golf Resort.

"This would have represented major passing trade for, but I missed out on it due to what's been going on. 

"However, this isn't just about me. The work is causing hardship for everyone who is trying to live and do business on this road. It's unacceptable - truly unacceptable."

In a press statement, NIE confirmed that it was aware of the impact on individuals such as Mr. Varma, and said that work is "on schedule" and set to end on Friday. 

"I rang about compensation, but they said no on all aspects," said Mr. Varmer.

"I asked if they, at least, could reduce my electricity bill, or give me a discount. I wasn't asking for the world, but they said no to that as well.

"The attitude of NIE seems to be that once a warning sign is put up, they are covered. Yes, they put a sign-up, but there was no warning about the impact this work was going to have."

Mr. Varma has also called on elected representatives to devise a compensation scheme for business owners who are impacted by delays related to roadworks. 

"There needs to be policies and procedures in place that if your business is shut, you should get some sort of compensation," he said. 

 "It's disgraceful that politicians were off work for five years while Stormont was down, but still got paid, yet we have got trading businesses on the Sligo Road that are losing thousands, without any compensation.