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Flood-hit road to reopen with 'substantial repair'

Harriet Heywood/BBC Image shows Mill Lane road and chunks of cobbles which have been dug up. They are in a large pile in the centre of the road where a rectangle section has been ripped away by flooding. To the far right of the image is a large green field. Harriet Heywood/BBC
The last two floods that damaged the road on Mill Lane were the most serious recorded

A road that was swept away for a second time in a year due to flooding is set to be repaired and reopened this weekend.

Little Paxton Bridge in St Neots, Cambridgeshire was closed after water from the Great Ouse flooded Mill Lane, making it impassable.

The road was submerged under fast-moving water for several days, with the old cobbles underneath left exposed after parts of the road surface disappeared.

Cambridgeshire County Council said a new and more substantial repair was taking place to further increase flood resilience.

Harriet Heywood/BBC A ripped up road surface revealing cobbles underneath, with the bridge and weir over the River Great Ouse between St Neots and Little PaxtonHarriet Heywood/BBC
The surface of the road was washed away on the St Neots side of the bridge over the Great Ouse, revealing old cobbles underneath
Harriet Heywood/BBC An image of Mill Lane fully submerged under water. There is a chunk of tarmac with double yellow lines on sticking out of the water.Harriet Heywood/BBC
Cambridgeshire County Council previously said it was investigating why past repairs failed, and hoped to design a "long-lasting solution"

The authority said it had been necessary to allow time for the road to dry before investigations could be carried out.

Work to repair the road was due to start on Thursday and be finished before the weekend, weather permitting.

The old road surface is to be removed and a new one laid on to existing concrete for what the council called a "deeper, more substantial repair".

A new kerb line has also been installed to further increase flood resilience.

Chair of the council's highways and transport committee Alex Beckett said: "It’s frustrating that flooding at Little Paxton Bridge, Mill Lane has been more serious than usual this year and resulted in extensive damage to the road surface on two occasions.

"While we can’t control the weather, I’m pleased to hear that it’s been possible to design a repair that will both improve future flood resilience and also allow the road to be safely opened shortly."

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