'Notorious' stretch of A72 at Dirtpot Corner reopens after upgrade

The road has been widened in a bid to help reduce the number of accidents

A "notorious" stretch of a Borders road has fully reopened after almost a year of improvement work.

A £2.2m upgrade at Dirtpot Corner near Cardrona on the A72 has seen the route widened and resurfaced and a new retaining wall put in place.

The work aims to reduce the number of accidents in the area - particularly issues with HGVs meeting at the corner.

Scottish Borders Council said it should address the "long-standing issue" for drivers on the road.

The upgrade has taken nearly a year to complete

"The end result is a significant improvement for road users, who we must thank for their patience during the works," said Gordon Edgar, the local authority's executive member for roads and infrastructure.

"While it is much improved, we would advise road users to take their time when approaching the corner until they get used to the new layout."

Tweeddale East councillors Stuart Bell, Shona Haslam and Robin Tatler said in a joint statement that they were "delighted" the work had been completed.

The old road layout suffered problems - particularly when HGVs met one another

"The corner will be significantly better for road users to navigate, and SBc Contracts and SBC's engineering design team deserves huge credit for their efforts to minimise the impact on motorists and the local environment, and for the quality of their work," it said.

"We again thank the local community for their understanding throughout the project and hope they recognise the benefit of the new Dirtpot Corner."