Road dubbed Britain's wonkiest set to reopen

The road was closed after a major landslip in February 2022

A road dubbed Britain's wonkiest is set to reopen three years after it was ripped up by a major landslip.

The B4069 at Lyneham Banks, Wiltshire, was closed in February 2022, but is set to reopen on Wednesday.

The work, which included constructing a 108m-long retaining wall and cost £5m, was completed by Octavius on behalf of Wiltshire Council.

During the work, the slope above and beyond the roadway was regraded, with drainage systems also installed beneath the new carriageway and on the new hillside.

Wiltshire Conservative councillor Alison Bucknell said: "It has been a long, slow journey to get to where we are today.

"I would like to pay tribute to all of the officers and contractors who have worked on this project, and to the residents and businesses who have had to put up with a huge amount of inconvenience."

Wiltshire Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Thorn added: "I am delighted Lyneham Banks has finally reopened. It's a tribute to the officers and engineers who have restored the road.

"Special thanks to Wiltshire's residents who have been so very patient while the road has been repaired."

A spokesperson for the Wiltshire Green Party added they "do not consider the reinstatement of this road as a political issue".

"It is for the benefit of Wiltshire Residents that it has been repaired," the spokesperson said.

The road was previously used by more than 5,000 vehicles a day

Ms Bucknell said while residents have asked for an official opening, there will be "no balloons, no fanfare, no drumroll".

"The most important thing is that we can get our lives back to "normal" as soon as possible," she said.

She said the whole situation had been "simply horrendous".

Before its closure, the road was used by more than 5,000 vehicles a day.