Ventnor: Road and footpaths near landslip to remain closed

A coastal road near the site of a massive landslip on the Isle of Wight is to remain closed.

Leeson Road, the A3055 between Shanklin to Ventnor, has been shut since the landslip on 10 December which forced residents to leave 20 properties.

Isle of Wight Council said the area was "potentially at risk of movement".

Monitoring equipment is being fitted in the coming weeks. There needs to be six weeks of no movement before a decision can be made on reopening the road.

A small number of residents are still unable to live in their homes while further checks are carried out on their properties.

At a meeting held to update islanders at St Catherine's Church in Ventnor on Thursday, Natasha Dix, from Isle of Wight Council, said: "The landslide which has taken place was of a large scale and we need to make sure it is safe to open the road.

"If monitoring data shows no movement in six weeks, we can consider giving a date to open the road, but if it shows concerning movements or voids beneath the road, we will communicate that and let people know."

Residents said they felt Ventnor was being cut off, with the only routes out being residential and rural lanes through Whitwell and Wroxall, which are often hard to navigate due to parked cars.

Island Roads told those at the meeting bore holes 100m deep would be put into the road during March so the land could be monitored to check for movement.

Rob Gillespie, from the island's road firm, apologised some would be disappointed the road would remain shut.

He said: "There is a degree of caution in the way we are approaching it. The safety of road users is our top priority."

Drivers are being diverted from Ventnor, via Wroxall, and from Shanklin, via Whiteley Bank.

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