Half marathon unchanged as road set to reopen

The Brighton Half Marathon will run "as planned" despite the closure of the A259, a councillor has said.

Part of the A259 will be ready this weekend in time for the Brighton Half Marathon, a councillor has said.

Grand Junction Road has been closed for six days after warnings that the Royal Albion Hotel was at risk of "catastrophic collapse" prompted safety concerns and traffic about the road.

Following fears the closure could affect the event, Brighton & Hove City Council's lead for transport Trevor Muten said the event was "going to take place as planned".

A spokesperson for the Half Marathon confirmed the news, adding the route would be unchanged.

'We are very unhappy'

Speaking to BBC Sussex, Muten said the westbound carriageway of the A259 was expected to be handed back to the council by the weekend.

He added: "We are very aware of the impact this is having. We are very unhappy with that."

Mr Muten said an 80 tonne crane was being transported from Cambridge to Brighton and would arrive on Thursday.

The crane would then be used to take down any hazardous structure and scaffolding in the hotel.

The closure of the A259 has caused traffic chaos in the city centre, with businesses and residents in despair about the situation.

One business said it had taken a delivery driver an hour to travel around 250 yards (228.6m).

The Royal Albion was partially destroyed after a fire broke out in the building, believed to have been caused by a discarded cigarette.

Brighton & Hove City Council previously said it had asked for additional signage to reduce traffic around the road closures.