Increasing road closures are a further barrier for shoppers to return to the high street, says the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira).

Bira is raising concerns after members in coastal resorts flagged up the problem. Reports of road closures were due to tourists flocking to beaches during lockdown.

Bira’s CEO, Andrew Goodacre, highlights these issues are part of a country-wide, long-running accessibility problem resulting in decreased shopper footfall.

As lockdown measures continue to lift, Goodacre says it needs to be as easy as possible for shoppers to return to the high street in a bid to boost trade.

“Prior to shops re-opening, Bira asked for local authorities to take action to ensure that shoppers feel safe and can move around the town centres and along the high streets,” he says. “In many cases there has been good signage and people offering support to shoppers.

“However, there has also been a proliferation of road closures and removal of car parking spaces; often without discussing the measures with the retail businesses.

“Our members are telling us that these road closures are detrimental to the high street business. Access is reduced, resulting in a further decline in footfall. With shoppers not wanting to use public transport, the car is for now a preferred choice of transport and so streets need to be open as usual.

“Queueing and pavement congestion is not generally a problem. We urge all local authorities to reconsider any road closures that have been put in place. At the moment, retailers do not need any more barriers preventing customers from visiting the shops.”

For further information on Bira, please click here.