Ventnor road closure could be on the cards following land movement

The road was recently closed after a dip appeared in the highway, following damage to a sewer. It only reopened  on December 15.

In recent days, the smaller of two repair areas appears to have sunken (see photos) and cracks have appeared on both sides of the pavement.

A team has been on site today (Tuesday) to assess the situation. 

An Island Roads spokesperson said: “The Graben is a known geological location which is often subject to ground movement.

"The area is monitored by specialist electronic equipment installed in the ground as well as visual inspections of any surface changes.

"Island Roads are aware of the signs of movement.  Visual monitoring will continue, and we remain alert to take necessary action should it be deemed necessary.”

A large void closed the road in May, 2023, and in previous years.

Meanwhile, in Bonchurch, Leeson Road's access to Shanklin remains closed until further notice.

Monitoring and further technical work is to be undertaken this month (January) following the Bonchurch landslide on December 10.

If the Graben area is closed for maintenance while Leeson Road remains closed, the only access into Ventnor will be via Whitwell.

When this happened in December, HGV vehicles were asked to adhere to a one-way system to ease the flow of traffic.