Repair for road landslip damage to get under way

A MULTIMILLION-POUND plan to repair a major landslip caused by stormy weather is set to get under way this summer. The B6343 Mitford Road near Morpeth in Northumberland will be closed for up to 40 weeks while the repair is carried out.

- JAMES ROBINSON

The project covers a distance of 55 metres after an embankment on the River Wansbeck collapsed during Storm Babet in October 2023. Last year, Northumberland County Council put repair costs at around £3.5m, but this has now risen to £4.6m.

The council say the repairs will stabilise and repair the damage as well as safeguarding the road against future undermining by the River Wansbeck.

The rising cost has been explained by the fact that the project is expected to be a "very challenging" working environment requiring a "highly complex engineering solution".