Strawberry Line cycle route reopens after water main upgrade

The Strawberry Line runs through parts of north Somerset

A cycle route in Somerset which shut for 18 months for water mains work has now been reopened.

Bristol Water has installed a new pipe along a section of the Strawberry Line between Barrow Gurney and Cheddar.

Work began on the the £27m project in October 2016, with completion originally planned for March 2018. However, it was delayed due to poor weather and roosting bats.

The route is part of the National Cycle Network.

The Winscombe section of the route has also been resurfaced in the Shuteshelve Tunnel, along with new reflective white lining and cats eyes.

North Somerset Council's Peter Bryant said: "We appreciate that Bristol Water have faced some unforeseen difficulties during their works, but we are pleased there will eventually be improved facilities for people using the Strawberry Line."

The route follows part of the old Cheddar Valley railway.

The railway closed in the 1960s and was nicknamed the Strawberry Line because it transported tonnes of the fruit from local farms for more than a century.