Badger sett leads to three-month Kempsford road closure

Pedestrians are urged to avoid the area due to large holes being formed at the side of the road

Burrowing badgers have removed so much earth from beneath a road it has been closed due to risk of collapse.

Intensive structural repairs are needed to 150m of country lane between Kempsford and Hannington Wick in Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire County Council said "tonnes" of earth had been removed.

Environmental laws mean officials have to wait three months before work can start to allow the badgers to vacate the area.

The council said it had called in experts and requested a licence from Natural England to start work on the un-named C road, known as the 3/171 boundary to Kempsford High Street.

The hope is to get the road re-opened in time for the annual Royal International Air Tattoo in nearby Fairford on 19-21 July.

However, law dictates the sett cannot be disturbed until 1 July at the earliest.

The diversion route will be in place for at least three months while explorations are made

Liz Kirkham, the council's highways operations manager, said: "We know long road closures are frustrating, however we must follow the restrictions from Natural England.

"We have already booked in crews to do the work needed to get the road open again, so I would like to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to plan ahead."

The road is currently closed to all traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians.

A diversion is in place and Kempsford residents are required to access the village from the opposite direction by car.

Pedestrians are also urged not to use the route due to large holes creating trip hazards at the side of the road.