A WATCHET road at risk of falling down a cliff and barred to traffic for a week could be hit by further major land-slips in the next few weeks, experts have warned.
The B3191 coastal road, which links Watchet and Blue Anchor and is used by over 2,500 vehicles a day, is closed off by locked safety gates at Cleeve Hill while Somerset County Council’s highways team investigate the latest major landslide of rocks and soil on a section of the road which is now only feet away from the cliff edge.
Civic and business leaders pressed the county council for a quick decision on whether the road, closed since last Thursday, can be reopened in time for the start of the tourist season.
But Watchet-based geologist Dr Andy King told the Free Press: “The situation at Cleeve Hill is serious. We can expect to see additional cliff falls over the next few weeks as rainwater soaks through the rocks and into the soil.
“The existing road is literally teetering on the edge of an actively-eroding cliff and landslip.”
“The uncertainty of the situation is really worrying,” said Watchet Chamber of Trade chairman John Richards. “The B3191 is absolutely essential to local business and tourism. We have been warning for years that the road will one day fall into the sea but nothing has been done.”
The safety gates were installed last August after an increase in erosion and cliff falls led to a local campaign to have the road diverted. Earlier this month, the district council planning committee turned down a 136-home scheme under which the developers would have contributed funds to move the road inland.
Local county councillor Hugh Davies said that the tourist industry, particularly around Blue Anchor, would be hit hard by the closure and particularly by the uncertainty it was already causing. “Are we talking about a closure of weeks, months or even years?” he asked. “No-one seems to know and yet the situation can hardly have come as a surprise.”
Mr Richards said he wouldn’t be surprised if the B3191 remained closed for a minimum of months on the evidence of pictures of the latest cliff falls. “If the road is closed for more than a few weeks it will certainly disrupt business in the town.
“At the moment the closure is essential for the safety of road users but if it remains shut at Easter the loss of trade from visitors and from caravan sites could be a disaster for the town.”
Cllr Loretta Whetlor, who represents Watchet on the district council, said the deterioration of the cliffs after the recent wet weather was now so serious that public safety was paramount. “We have to rely on expert opinion but I am pressing the county council for the earliest possible decision and am constantly monitoring the situation,” Cllr Whetlor said.
Dr King added: “These cliffs are very active at the moment, with rock falls and continual slips. Many new fractures are opening and mud slides appearing. The viable future of this route really needs consideration.”
Cllr Mike Rigby, SCC portfolio holder for planning and transport, said: "The message we are trying to get across to people is it is potentially hazardous, so do not try and drive through it and do not try and walk through it either.
"We will go through with the investigations and come up with a plan but it is not going to be a quick process."
A highways team spokesman added: “The geotechnical challenges affecting the cliff face are complex and require a high degree of monitoring. Our team were able to act quickly, and the road will be closed until further notice while detailed inspections are carried out.”
This week local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger joined the debate by urging local authorities to start planning a long-term solution for a problem “which has been plaguing the area for decades.”
He said the road was realigned slightly landward after a major collapse in the 1970s but it was clear a major engineering project was now necessary.
“Successive councils have been reluctant to embark on such a course because of the cost but we have reached a point where that is our only option. The situation at Cleeve Hill is only going to get worse and with every high tide the likelihood of the entire cliff collapsing is intensified,” he said.
“While the B3191 remains out of action not only does it cause immense inconvenience to the thousands of holidaymakers who use the caravan sites along the coast, it robs West Somerset of an alternative traffic route in the event of an accident anywhere along the A39 between Carhampton and Washford Cross.
“Those factors should help in making out make out a strong economic case for a major realignment scheme - and for obtaining the necessary Government funding to carry it out.”