THE boss of Castlepoint shopping centre does not know when the raised car park floor might be permanently fixed but said customers “don’t give a monkey’s”.

The centre temporarily closed in 2005 after the concrete floor and columns developed cracks, which led to installation of extra support.

Cllr Ron Whittaker asked centre boss Peter Matthews for an update at the March meeting of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade.

Mr Matthews said: “I don’t know when it would be done. I’m not involved with the protracted legal conversations.

“But what I can say is the customers don’t give a monkey’s about it or water coming through the roof onto their car – they come for the shops.

“The question is, did they find the shops they wanted? Did they find what they wanted to buy?

“People are working on it and people are probably very frustrated.

“I just get on with running the centre on a day-to-day basis.”

The shopping centre closed without warning on December 1, 2005, due to safety concerns surrounding the crumbling concrete.

Retailers lost millions of pounds before temporary props were installed and the car park was allowed to gradually re-open.

• Peter Matthews, boss of the Centre, said this Sunday, Mother’s Day, would provide the first big test of the new traffic light system.

Mr Matthews said the changes had so far made it much easier for drivers to leave. He said: “Mother’s Day will be the real test.”

He was speaking at Bournemouth’s Chamber of Trade’s March meeting.