Watchet: Cleeve Hill coast road at risk of 'catastrophic collapse'

Councillor Mike Rigby said the B3191 Cleeve Hill road could collapse with little notice

A coast road at risk of falling into the sea could "catastrophically collapse with little notice", a councillor has said.

Cleeve Hill in Watchet, west Somerset, was closed indefinitely in January due to safety concerns.

Councillor for transport, Mike Rigby, gave the warning at a Somerset Council meeting on Wednesday.

He said the B3191 road would not be able to reopen to walkers, cyclists or cars in the near future.

Mr Rigby added that new road signs indicating the closure would be installed in early June and the coastal path had already been diverted.

The road has been closed since January due to the instability of the cliff

It had been hoped that the road would reopen to pedestrians following the initial closure in January, but surveys carried out in February and April have shown further movement along the coastal slope.

Somerset Council is working with the Environment Agency on plans to make the area safe and secure the road's long-term future.

The B3191 connects Watchet to Blue Anchor and provides a diversionary route from the A39, a key route for holidaymakers travelling from the M5 to the Exmoor National Park and the Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead.