Isle of Wight: Military Road could fall in two years, councillor says

A coastal road could be "washed into the sea" in just two years, a senior council official has said.

Erosion is eating away at the cliff by Military Road on the Isle of Wight, forcing cars to drive just metres away from a sheer drop in some places.

Concerns were raised about the road collapsing into the waves below, after holes opened up between Chale and Freshwater.

Work is under way to find a solution, according to Isle of Wight Council.

Colin Rowland, the authority's director of community services, said the only two possibilities were to either re-route the road further away from the coast or upgrade the existing inland roads to take diverted traffic.

At a meeting of the council's corporate scrutiny committee, Mr Rowland said it could be "anything between two and 10 years before the Military Road is washed away by the sea".

Erosion caused by the sea and the formation of chines - deep narrow ravines - were causing the problems, Mr Rowland added.

The road runs along the island's south-west coast

Last week, council leader Phil Jordan said three sites were experiencing the "real effects of geological erosion", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Afton Down stretch, where voids have appeared, is considered to be relatively stable, but the more immediate concern is between Brook and Compton Farm, he said.

Re-routing the road inland would secure it for a further 20 years or more, but could cost more than £20m, he added.

The council has been in discussion with the National Trust, which owns most of the land, about rerouting and has approached the relevant government departments for funding.

Plans for a 26m-long (85ft) wall to temporarily stabilise the road were turned down in October.

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