THE closure of the A65 at Gargrave has been delayed until after the May Day Bank Holiday due to pressure from local traders.

Roadworks were scheduled to start at Easter much to the fury of local businesses keen to cash in on the holiday trade.

The work will mean a complete closure of the road to all traffic for around three weeks.

But the Highways Agency has now announced it will delay the closure until May 7.

The plans will be on show at a public exhibition in Gargrave Village Hall. The provisional dates for the event are March 26, from 11am to 4pm, and March 27 from 2pm to 8pm.

Affected residents and traders will be able to find out first-hand what the proposals entail, and also speak to those responsible for the impending disruption.

Also on show will be details of the latest high-tech road surface, which is being put down to reduce traffic noise through the village.

Residents and traders were dismayed when news of the work was broken last month and initially discussed putting the work back even further to autumn.

However consultations revealed that the majority of villagers felt it would be completed far quicker during the early summer than in autumn when the days were shorter.

Rob Goulding, project co-ordinator for the Lancashire County Council Highway Consultancy which is working on behalf of the Highways Agency, said the public exhibition would be a chance for people to see exactly what was planned, although they were open to ideas and suggestions.

He added that he would be at the meeting alongside project sponsor Roy Wood, plus a representative from the contractor to answer any questions.

He added: "The meeting will give people a chance to see that we are working on a very difficult task, which has taken a huge amount of planning.

"We are trying to improve the road and work with people, not against them. The last thing we want is to cause any more disruption that is necessary.

"In fact, when the new quieter surface is down, it will benefit the village because it will have the same effect as halving the traffic flow."

Mr Goulding added that there was still a lot to organise, such as the problems facing bus company Pennine Motors.

One way round is to have a shuttle minibus service from the Little Chef roundabout in Skipton to Johnson and Johnson's entrance, and then another from the Anchor Inn towards Coniston Cold.

The service would be free, but as Pennine Motors director Norman Simpson pointed out people would still have a long way to walk with shopping. And he added that he didn't even have a minibus.

There would also be problems for people using taxis from Skipton.

The taxi operators would have no choice but to find alternative routes around the village, which would increase fares.

The parish council is to meet again with Highways and see whether additional work in the village, which was already earmarked, could be done at the same time. This includes kerb lowering.

In addition, Yorkshire Water is planning to work alongside Highways to work on the water mains.

Details of the exhibition will be confirmed nearer the time.