Boris takes his 'guerrilla war' on roadworks to Borough

The Mayor is said to be determined to sort out the works that have caused disruption in Borough High Street following the launch of a "guerrilla war" on roadworks yesterday.

Residents and businesses in the high street called on him to intervene after saying the route has been crippled by roadworks for three years.

Mr Johnson yesterday called on Londoners to "name and shame" utilities companies who flout regulations by reporting them using Twitter. Nearly 100 complaints have so far been made about sites in the capital.

He also announced a series of new pledges and demanded that sites must never be neglected unless contractors provide a valid reason.

Today deputy mayor for transport Isabel Dedring summoned TfL officials to Borough High Street to demand action. The drainage and resurfacing works on the high street are being carried out by contractor Ringway Jacobs for TfL.

A spokesman for the Mayor said: "The Mayor is fully aware of the sense of frustration and anger as a result of these works. He has raised it before with TfL and as promised yesterday, he will deal with the matter with urgency and determination. If the Mayor has to shout at senior staff at one of his own agencies, then he will do so."

Locals and small business owners today hit out at the works.

Calvin Reid, 30, from Shoreditch, who works in the music industry, said: "For the last two months the road works have been unattended, you occasionally see people moving around a few cones which is obviously dangerous so it would be better if they got it done, especially as it's been going on for four months now."

Scott Masterson, general manager of The George pub, said the works have had a "severe" impact on business.

He said: "They pretty much don't work at weekends and they don't work very late in the evening at all. This has been a one-way street for several months now. It has had quite a severe impact on business. People can't see that you're open."

Alex Carpenter, assistant manager of St Christopher's Inn, a pub and hostel in the high street, said: "It's been being dug up for three years now on three separate occasions for three different things. Why don't the utility companies speak to each other? It's frustrating."

Other traffic blackspots due to roadworks include the A406 at Bounds Green, Tottenham Court Road station, Charing Cross Road, Oxford Street and the northbound Blackwall Tunnel, which is closed overnight for safety improvement works.