Drive to Mills Creek any day of the week around lunchtime, and there's a good chance you'll be forced to make your way through an overflowing canal.

Mills Creek business owners claim they are losing money and customers because of the creek spilling into the street. And they say it can easily be fixed by raising the road and fixing the weight gate that allows debris and water in if the cause of the flooding is addressed.

Jim Ferguson of Tops, Chris Nash of BAC, Huw Lewis of Eurotile, Scott Johnson of Johnson's Marine Services and Toby Kempe of Bermuda Forwarders sat down with this newspaper to discuss their concerns.

Mr. Lewis said during July's 25 working days, 19 of those saw high tide which caused flooding.

"The problem is that customers turn in, they look, they see it's flooded and they're off to somewhere else to buy their needs and that's our biggest problem. The road is flooded all the time."

Asked how the creek has affected his business, Mr. Lewis said while the recession has contributed to lower sales, the problems with the creek have contributed to a 20 percent decrease in sales at Eurotile.

Mr. Ferguson said: "It's more an inconvenience than anything. Most of our employees have arranged to leave their cars out front."

Mr. Johnson said: "It's been a long, ongoing situation which everybody has put a blind eye to. I have even gone in to get information on the problem, which is the weight gate. The gentlemen that were down there didn't care and just broke it and just left it. They said Works and Engineering fixed it.

"When the tide comes in the weight is pushed down. It's not even an expensive project."

While the men don't hesitate to admit the road is private, they insist Government is responsible for the creek that runs through it.

Mr. Ferguson explained there was a study that was done on the creek back in 2004. As none of the information was acted on, the road has been allowed to sink further, and the water to rise.

High tide also has an impact on business, Mr. Nash said.

"There's also when the tide is up, it really slows traffic. It's only a one-lane system. If you're on a bike, you can wait five minutes before you get a break."

The business owners all agreed they would help pay for the road and don't expect Government to foot the entire bill. They just want the road raised at least 18 inches and the gate fixed before the road falls into the canal.

Mr. Kempe said: "We're not going to get away with not putting any money into it."

And Mr. Lewis said: "The time has come now where Government needs to do it even if they say [we] have to share the cost. Even if we have to pay them back over a ten-year period. But let's get it done.

"My concern is one of public safety. If a car is going along on the water side and that roadway gives away, that car could fall into the creek."

Mr. Johnson had concerns over the trailer trucks that drive into the area to deliver goods to the various stores, explaining that some of them can weigh up to 20 tonnes.

"It [the problem] has been addressed but nothing has been done. Just repair the weight gate and 75 percent of the problem is gone," he added.

He also claimed a lot of flooding issues come from all the building in Hamilton and said the problems began after the construction of Bulls Head Car Park.

Mr. Kempe said the problem had been going on for years and said 25 years ago, the businesses put in money to raise the road the first time.

"It raised well but it's time to do it again," he said.

He claimed he had spoken with Government who said they have sent people to Mills Creek. Mr. Kempe maintains that all they did was break the gate instead of fixing it.

He said it only takes a soda bottle to get stuck to cause water and debris to push its way through and worsen the problem.

Works and Engineering did not respond by press time.