IT was an unhappy Christmas for traders on one of the district's main shopping parades when icy conditions and a lack of gritting on their road put off potential customers.

Despite its status as Buckhurst Hill's main retail area, Queens Road was ignored by the county council's gritters causing many people to avoid the area.

Buckhurst Hill Town centre partnership chairman and Queens Road accountant Peter Angel said: “Queens Road is always the last to be gritted. Considering it's on a steep slope and it's a main shopping parade it seems diabolical that the council don't grit it.

“Some traders told me they were well down this year compared to last year. I had one or two clients who cancelled their appointments because they said Queen's Road wasn't safe.”

Owner of fancy dress shop Arabesque Barry Hurst said: “It was bad. You couldn't walk on the pavements let alone drive. The gritting was very poor: we have the same problem every year. We probably lost some custom. You'd have to be really desperate to go out.”

The latest setback for Queens Road' shopkeepers comes soon after they were hit with a business rate hike of up to three times what they were previously paying.

Puppy Kit director Adam Forman said: “They've put our business rates up but we don't get a lot for it. We're a major shopping street, but we never get gritted.”

Inspire Gifts and Cards owner Yil Osman said: “The council live in a completely different world. They charge us more for domestic rates and they don't deliver the service.”

Residents in the area also criticised the lack of council provision against the dangerously icy conditions.

Neil Cohen, 43, of Queens Road, said: “I spent a tenner on salt and put it down it was so dangerous. I thought: 'Why isn't the council doing anything?'

“When I called the council to ask them to deposit salt for me to spread across the worse parts of Queens Road I was told this would not happen as people would probably steal it to use on their own driveways.”

The county council are yet to comment on the issue.