Update as Isle of Wight landslip Leeson Road to close again

Leeson Road, which was reopened for the first time in seven months in July following the catastrophic landslip in December last year, will close again in September.

Aiming to fully reopen the road in the future, the council has confirmed that new works on the road will get underway on September 9.

In order for work to start on that date, the road will be closed from 10pm on Sunday, September 8.

Traffic on Leeson Road after it reopened for the first time in seven months in July (Image: IWCP)

The council's aim is to ‘reopen the road by Christmas’.

A spokesperson added: "We will work proactively with utility companies such as Southern Gas Networks and Southern Water to ensure the level of roadworks around the Ventnor area are kept to a minimum while Leeson Road is closed.

"This will exclude emergency works which need to take place in the interests of public safety."

What is happening on Leeson Road?

Work will start on sinking the first of three boreholes to help build a picture of the area’s geology following the catastrophic landslip in December last year.

The ground investigation will take core samples of the rock layers, which can then be assessed and recorded by geological engineers.

This process will also allow the council to install various monitoring equipment which will record ground movement and water levels.

The boreholes are thought to be the deepest ever sunk on the Island, at around 110 metres deep.

Leeson Road from above (Image: IW Council)

What is hoped to be achieved from the new Leeson Road works?

The information from the equipment installed across the site will help with the development of an early warning system that will allow the road to reopen but shut immediately if significant movement is detected.

It will also be used to help geologists understand the unique ground formation across the wider 11 miles of the Undercliff area, which is Western Europe’s largest inhabited active landslip system.

The Smugglers Haven Tearoom and below, the landslip off Leeson Road (Image: IWCP)

Natasha Dix, service director for waste, environment and planning, said: “While all this information will help our long-term understanding of both Leeson Road and the wider area, it will also give us the short-term information necessary to install the early warning system that will allow us to reopen Leeson Road without ongoing traffic management."

Michelle Love, service director for highways and community protection, added: “We know how important it is to keep Leeson Road open, and that has always been the aim.

"What we have needed is accurate real-time data for us to be able to do that safely. These boreholes – and the equipment that will be installed within them – will give us the information we need.

“Naturally, we cannot give any guarantees until the latest data can be analysed, but we are hopeful this work will prove a crucial step in the safe reopening of Leeson Road."