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Over-running roadworks means the owner of a barbershop says he has been forced to call time on his business after 43 years serving Ancoats – following ‘£7,000’ of losses.

A Manchester council project is installing cycle lanes and upgrading pedestrian crossings on Oldham Road, near the famous Wing Yip superstore.

It began in February, and was initially projected to finish in late April – but its completion date has repeatedly been moved back to July, then September, and now autumn 2025. To make up time, crews are working overnight from 8:30pm to 5:30am this month.

And neighbours, having previously complained of contractors’ behaviour, are fed up — with one barber claiming his ‘business is being murdered’.

“The biggest issue is if we had been given a plan saying it would be four or five months, we could have planned for it,” said Ernest Armakpado, owner of Headmaster barbers. “But the deadline is missed, so you cannot plan.”

Another barber, Jimmy Kennedy, said he is closing for good on 27 September, 43 years after opening Kutters on February 8, 1982. He’s bringing his planned retirement forward by six months.

“I’m getting older. I was going to go until next year, but I cannot fight this. I will lose the battle,” sighed the 67-year-old.

“I asked if there’s any compensation because I’ve lost £7,000 in five months compared to last year.

“I’m doing nothing here – there’s no passing trade. Clients are moaning that there’s no public transport because there’s no bus stop open here – they have to get off at Butler Street or Oldham Street. 

“I’ve got a friend, I’ve been cutting his hair for 30 years, and he said to me last week he’s not coming in anymore because he came twice and could not get parked.

“You cannot put a business in the middle of a building site for 33 weeks and not know the end of it.”

Having opened at 5:45am most days to catch post office staff finishing a night shift, Jimmy added he was not against ‘progress’, but thought it was ‘wrong for the area, what they have done’.

“I was going to go out anyway, but to make the area like this, every day is like Sunday,” he added.

“We’ve had no help. They have told me there’s no conversation scheme at all. It’s got very, very hard.”

It’s not just barbers who have lost ‘thousands’. 

P3 Annihilation Eve, a bar opposite Kutters, formerly called Peste, saw its outdoor seating area removed to make way for a ‘rain garden’ for sustainable drainage.

Owner Helen Collett explained: “We have had an outside seating area for the last two years, and we extended the space last year. We invested in furniture and spent time on the application. The council was really helpful.

“It got to this year, and since February, we have been told we would not be able to have a seating area because of the rain garden, but they would help find us alternative seating arrangements.

“We have lost the summer of the outside seating. We were instantly losing money because we could not have people outside.

“It’s been a real struggle. We have lost thousands.”

Helen has managed to use the roadworks to her advantage somewhat, staging a photoshoot to promote new cocktails.

“We got our staff drinking the staff cocktails in the space. It was half creative, but we were also trapped essentially,” she went on. “It helped when customers were annoyed about the outside space, it gave us a lighter touch.”

Customers have also been frustrated at the noise from the overnight work, which Helen called ‘absolutely horrific’, as it takes place while P3 is open in the evenings.

The noise has also drawn ire from Dominic Pritchard, who has lived on Oldham Road nearby for five years. He blames the roadworks for the end of his relationship.

“My boyfriend moved out because he is a nurse working nights, so every day he came home in the day and was not able to sleep,” he said. “That caused the end of our relationship.”

Dominic usually works in an office five days a week, so he was unaware of how severe the noise issues were until nighttime construction began. He knows now.

“These two weeks are crazy,” he added. “There must be a kick-off time when they shut the road. The noise, it’s insane. It’s totally mental.”

In response to the criticism, Manchester council said: “We, of course, have sympathy for anyone who has been disrupted by the ongoing works on Oldham Road.

“This is an extensive scheme intended to benefit both residents and businesses by improving walking and cycling provision in the north of the city, as well as making it easier to access local civic centres, public transport and links to other parts of Manchester.

“The contractor has engaged extensively with residents and businesses and done everything in their power to keep people informed on their progress. However, with any major infrastructure project, there can be unavoidable delays.

“Unforeseen issues beneath the surface of the road have impacted the completion of this project; however, work is being carried out as quickly as possible to get this project over the line.”

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