THE city's West Port is set to finally reopen this week, bringing relief to beleaguered traders and motorists.

But there was a fresh blow after it emerged neighbouring Lady Lawson Street is to close for at least five days following a power cable explosion.

The news was announced at a heated meeting last night where Lothian business leaders demanded £500,000 compensation for traders in the area.

Up to 50 shop owners have lost thousands of pounds in sales following the partial collapse of the old Post Office building.

The resulting road closures also left motorists facing lengthy tailbacks in the area, particularly during rush hour. Last night's meeting in the Nail Factory on West Port was attended by around 20 traders, as well as local politicians, representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses, the city council, and Miller Construction – the firm responsible for demolition work.

Council road inspector Kenny Grier said he would be carrying out a final check on West Port and nearby Lauriston Street – both still closed to vehicles – today.

The extent of essential repair work such as re-tarring would then become known, he said, but he was hopeful the streets could be reopened by Thursday or Friday at the latest.

He said: "The footpath on the south side of West Port will need to remain shut.

"But I also have bad news, and I almost threw in the towel when I heard this, because Lady Lawson Street will now need to close from today because a power cable exploded on Sunday. ScottishPower will need to treat this as an emergency."

Throughout the meeting, Miller bosses were repeatedly told of the hardship now faced by traders in the area. Jennifer Rutherford of Alexander's Sandwich Bar on the West Port – who chaired the meeting – said: "My takings are down 60 per cent. I'm losing £150 a day and haven't had any wages for weeks – I'm completely skint.

The companies involved in the demolition work have been very unprofessional and unsympathetic to our plight."

Gail McKill, manager of Ocean Jewellery on West Port, added: "This has been devastating for us. It doesn't take the big businesses six months or a year to recover from this, which is what we're facing. It feels like we have been completely forgotten about."

Graham Russell, chairman of the Edinburgh Federation of Small Businesses branch, said he would be phoning the heads of Miller and site owners Kenmore Property Group to demand compensation for traders.

He said: "The businesses are being crucified and it's an absolute disgrace. I want £250,000 each from Miller and Kenmore as compensation. I also think it is disgraceful that the city council did not tell traders that they have a right to claim hardship relief."

Allan Currie, construction manager with Miller, admitted "there are lessons we can learn".

"But we really haven't known how long it would take," he said.