A pub could face closure after major road works have stopped almost all trade.

Watford Road, in Elstree, has been closed since June 9 for roadworks- leaving The Fishery Pub with a significant reduction in customers.

Owners Joseph and Andrew Dennison-McCarey have been at the pub for four years, and employ around 25 Borehamwood or Elstree residents.

Since the road has been closed, the pub has seen a fall in takings of 25% and the pair are now worried they may have to let some staff go.

Andrew said: “We’re normally packed at this time of the year, as we have customers coming from all over, but people will just see the roadworks and go somewhere else to save the hassle. People don’t realise they can come through the road blocks to visit us and the council haven’t made that clear at all.

“As a business that has seen significant growth in the last four years, it’s worrying.”

Joseph, who has now been forced to take a job in London, added: “They’re taking away from our prime trading times and it is going to kill us. We rely on people coming to us, either as a regular or passing trade, but people can’t do that now the whole road is closed off.”

Aldenham Country Park has also seen a dramatic cut in numbers, as Aldenham Lane has also been closed as part of the works.

Olivier Behzadi, the park’s community organiser, said: “This is our busiest time for school groups, and we’ve lost two of our school bookings already. One rang up this week and said it was just going to be too difficult to get here- that’s 200 or 300 school children we’ve lost from those two bookings alone.

He added: “The thing that annoys me most is that it has been handled poorly. I only found out about the closures, by accident, two weeks before they happened and even then we weren’t provided with enough signs to show people they can still reach us. Better communication is severely needed in this case.”

Both businesses have been in contact with the county council over the closures, who have now agreed to purchase more signs stating the pub and park will still be opening.

It is also hoped that works will be rescheduled to be carried out at night, meaning customers will still be able to reach the pub and country park during the day.

Contractors are currently working on the site seven days a week, meaning that the original programme of 26 weeks's work will now be cut down to 12 with the road expected to be reopened by the end of August.

The County Council is currently unavailable for comment.