A major country road has closed due to heat damage, forcing drivers to take a lengthy diversion. The closure is causing significant disruptions to residents, commuters, and businesses. Larger vehicles, such as recovery trucks, are being particularly affected, with some having to take a 62-mile detour.
The diversion is having a major impact on local people, with many expressing frustration at the state of the road. A local garage owner described the road as an 'absolute mess' and the diversion as 'diabolical'. Recovery times for customers and workers are being extended, with some trucks having to take a four or five-mile detour every time they go out on a job.
The local MP has written to the highways authority, expressing concerns about the disruption and asking for urgent answers on how the situation was allowed to develop. The MP said residents had already flagged concerns about the road condition before the heatwave, and that earlier intervention may have prevented the current level of disruption.
The highways authority has confirmed that the worst defects on the road will be repaired this week. They said the road had already been identified for further improvement works later this summer, but that the prolonged hot weather and local traffic conditions had sped up the deterioration of the road surface.
The heat damage is not isolated to this one road, with three miles' worth of road in separate sections across the county affected. The local council's cabinet member for highways said teams are monitoring the situation, carrying out inspections, and taking preventative measures to mitigate the impact of the heat on the road network.
