RETAIL and tourism chiefs fear York will lose millions of pounds in business as the A64 roadworks continue to cause motoring misery for visitors.

And they say the impact of the Copmanthorpe roadworks could hardly come at a more sensitive time, as the city prepares for the vital half-term holiday and run-up to Christmas.

Trade has already been hit since the roadworks and associated contraflow began last month, said Sally Kerr, chairwoman of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce's retail committee. "Most people are 10 per cent down on what they would expect," she said.

And she fears shoppers from West and South Yorkshire who have been through the jams once will decide to head somewhere else the next time they go shopping - potentially putting some shops out of business.

"The eight weeks leading up to Christmas are make-or -break time for business. For most of them, the rest of the year is just ticking over."

She said that a ten per cent fall in trade over a full year would represent many millions of pounds of lost business to the city. "You will sadly see more stores closed."

York's tourist attractions traditionally see the October half term as one of their best weeks in the year, but this year they fear publicity about the roadworks and jams could deter visitors by car, particularly day trippers from the Yorkshire region.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said the jams would also give a bad start to the holiday for visitors staying in the city for a few nights.

"This comes at the end of a very difficult year in which we have already been affected by floods, rail problems, foot-and-mouth and terrorism."

Juliana Delaney, spokeswoman for the top visitor attraction Jorvik, said she feared the roadworks and daily regional TV and radio publicity about them would cause a long-term detrimental effect on York, with visitors heading instead to competing cities and towns.

"I think the effects will be terrible. They need to find a solution," she said.

The roadworks are taking place so that an underpass can be built for Copmanthorpe motorists wanting to get safely into York and onto the eastbound carriageway. The underpass will mean the removal of the traffic lights and the closure of a dangerous gap in the central reservation.

City of York Council is to meet with the Highways Agency later this month to see what can be done to reduce the congestion caused by the contraflow.

Updated: 09:46 Tuesday, October 16, 2001