A Somerset road that was hit by a landslip in February last year will not re-open 'for the foreseeable future', the county council has said.
Chinnock Hollow, between the villages of East Chinnock and Odcombe to the south west of Yeovil, was closed in February 2021.
Reports said a large tree and a substantial amount of dirt fell from a bank onto the road. Somerset County Council originally said the route could be closed for up to six months but is now unable to state when it will re-open.
In October, the council’s vice chair, Mark Keating, told residents that although a contractor specialising in landslip surveying had been appointed in the spring, ‘unfortunately due to Pandemic restrictions, work backlogs and other resource/staffing issues there has been a much longer than usual wait for this survey to be started’.
Cllr Keating said the survey team’s start date was confirmed as 18 October but said: ‘At this stage we do not have an indication as to how long this stage will last.’
This week a council spokesperson said: ‘Since the preliminary site investigations we have since undertaken a further ecological and geotechnical assessment of the site.
‘However, due to the unstable geological nature of the roadside embankments, we are not in a position to reopen the road until we can ensure the safety of the public.
‘We are awaiting further geotechnical analysis of the area which will give us a clearer picture of the stability of the land and what further steps may need to be taken.’
The spokesperson added: ‘The assessment reports will inform the options moving forward. We will know more once we have a full analysis of the affected area.
‘Obviously, the safety of the public is paramount and for this reason the closure is likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.’
