Work starts to repair Wiltshire's 'wonkiest road'

Lyneham Banks was severely damaged after a landslip in 2022

Work is finally starting to repair a road that has been dubbed as England's wonkiest road

Lyneham Banks, on the B4069 in Wiltshire, has been closed since a landslip in February 2022, which broke up the road and moved it 25m (27 yards) downhill.

Contractors started clearing the site on Wednesday and work to install a retaining wall will get underway next week.

Wiltshire Council's Nick Holder said that he is pleased that work is finally starting and expects the repairs to take around nine months.

Contractors have started work to repair the road

There have been ongoing problems with the B4069 for at least two decades and in February 2022 a landslip took 90 metres of both sides of the carriageway 25m down the steep valley side.

Over the last two years, sections of the twisted, corkscrew remains of the road, have descended further.

The line of the road is now barely discernible amid the mounds of spoil from the landslip.

Nick Holder, who is in charge of overseeing the project, said that contractors are geared up to get the road open as soon as they can.

"They're going to be working six days a week - Monday to Saturday, 12 hours a day," said Mr Holder.

He explained that contractors have had to wait for the land to stop moving before work could commence.

Parts of the road have risen by six metres

Businesses affected by the two-year closure said they are relieved that work is finally getting under way.

Simon Manners is landlord of the Crosskeys at Bradenstoke whose business has been affected by the closure.

He said it has been tough for everyone in the village coping with the rat-running traffic and the long diversion around the collapsed road.

"We're just surviving," said Mr Manners, who feels hopeful now that the repairs have begun.

"It's very good news and we're all excited for the fact that we're going to get our road back which is good for the village."

Local businesses said they have been badly affected by the road closure

Michael Samphire runs Piggy's Cafe in Lyneham which is just a mile away from the road closure. He said with access from Chippenham so restricted, his business has really suffered.

"The footfall from customers is massively down," he said.

"The traffic on the road, you can sit out sometimes and it's quiet and Lyneham has never been like that. It's a massive impact on all the businesses in the area really."

Mr Samphire explained that he has been forced to use his savings to keep his busines afloat.

"People find it very difficult to get here and if they have got here, it's getting away again because the road has been closed," he said.

"We're all suffering and there's no help for us out there."

Challenging task

There is a significant task ahead for the contractors.

Although it is thought downward movement on the hillside has now settled, the land will have to be stabilised, before the road can be rebuilt.

It is a challenging task as the pitch of the slope, both above and below the line of the road, is uneven, and in some places steep enough to make walking difficult.

Even finding a flat area large enough to accommodate the temporary site offices, has taken careful planning, and specialist construction techniques and equipment will be needed to complete the road repairs.