Clevedon restaurant set to close as work begins to remove wiggly road markings
The owner of a seafront tapas bar says he can't afford to stay open
Last updated 20th Feb 2025
A restaurant in Clevedon is closing for three months as work continues to reverse controversial wiggly road markings.
Escala Tapas Bar is having to shut because the owners say they can't afford to keep it open whilst the sea front is closed to traffic.
People will still be able to access businesses and homes for the duration of the works.
It's as North Somerset council implement a number of changes, including the re-introduction of sea-facing parking and the removal of wiggly road markings.
The "wiggly lines" have been a point of contention since they were painted in 2022, with local residents raising complaints and the RAC describing them as "bizarre".
Dom Lammy owns seafront restaurant Escala Tapas Bar, and has described the impact of recent roadworks as "catastrophic".
"Our restaurant has been disrupted for more than 40 weeks - 200 days - since we've opened and that's a huge amount in lost revenue," he said.
"When roadworks are on, people avoid the area.
"We've let 15-20 staff go because we know from experience how bad this is and we can't weather the storm so we've decided to close.
"If we can, we will try and re-open when the works are over but this has had a huge financial toll on our small family run business."
A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: "We've listened to local residents and businesses and are working to get the changes to the seafront completed as soon as possible.
"We are in direct contact with businesses to accommodate their needs wherever possible.
"This includes maintaining access for seafront businesses and residents throughout the duration of the works, reminding the public that businesses are open as usual, and doing what we can to keep disruption to a minimum."