Businesses in a Moray village are counting the cost of the main tourist trail through their community being closed.
Motorists heading from Deeside to the Cairngorms on the A939 were forced to make a two-hour diversion for more than a week.
Businesses in Tomintoul claimed the village was turned into a “ghost town” and estimated takings had been halved.
John Polak, owner of Spindrift, which sells gifts and outdoor clothing, said: “There’s definitely been a big downturn.
“The streets have been pretty deserted. There’s not been much traffic going through.
“It just seems a crazy time of year to be doing something like this, it’s just coming up to our busiest time of year.
“I realise it’s not possible in the depths of winter but even April after the Easter holidays would be much better.”
Mr Polak estimated his losses over just a week could run to more than £1,000 compared with the same period before the road closed on June 20.
it reopened on Tuesday with temporary traffic lights, with Tomintoul businesses already reporting an immediate boost in trade.
Carole Balfour, owner of the Balfour Manor, calculated her losses at up to 50%, which could run into thousands of pounds.
She said: “It’s been a lot quieter in the pub during that time.
“We actually had cancellations because people couldn’t get through. You can see the difference in the streets now, it’s night and day.”
Resurfacing work has been carried out on the road and a tight bend between Corgarff and the Lecht has been widened.
Ron Hughes, chairman of Kirkmichael and Tomintoul Community Association, wants answers about why businesses in the village were not notified about the closure.
He said: “It has been like a ghost town while the road has been closed.”
The bulk of the work has now been finished, with only smaller parts of the project to be completed.
Aberdeenshire Council’s head of roads and landscape services, Philip McKay, said: “We have worked hard to minimise the closure of this important route and are pleased to have completed the main works three days early.”
