A LOWESTOFT café owner has been angered by roadworks, which sprung up more than a week before he had been told to expect them.Michael Manning, who runs Lighthouse Diner on Whapload Road, said the road outside the café looked like a "war zone" when he arrived to open up on Thursday.

A LOWESTOFT café owner has been angered by roadworks, which sprung up more than a week before he had been told to expect them.

Michael Manning, who runs Lighthouse Diner on Whapload Road, said the road outside the café looked like a "war zone" when he arrived to open up on Thursday. He blames the surprise roadworks for a loss in business of up to 25pc.

Mr Manning said that a notice had arrived the previous day from Suffolk County Council, warning him that work would start nine days later.

“Suddenly our business has been surrounded by barriers, traffic lights and God knows what,” he said. “But absolutely no way has it got anything to do with the notice they sent me.

"It has caused havoc getting into the premises. It looks like a war zone."

He said that the situation made parking difficult for customers and believed it could give people the impression that the café was closed.

“Business is really difficult at the moment and this adds to the misery of it all,” he said. “My bone of contention is the lack of information - there wasn't any warning.”

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said: "In the notice it should have been mentioned that we were doing preparatory work for the October 31 works. It's an oversight that was not intended so we apologise for any inconvenience caused to anyone."

She said that the preparatory works, which involve raising the level of the kerb, will continue until Friday, October 31. Roadworks will start immediately and run until November 7, with resurfacing scheduled for November 11 and 12. The road will be closed during the second and third phases.

Mr Manning added: “It's a pain in the neck. We don't know how it's going to affect business. It could be even worse than it is now.”