Three Isle of Wight councillors have spoken out to raise concerns about the imminent closure of main thoroughfare Leeson Road in Ventnor.

The road first closed on December 10 following a major landslide in Bonchurch, but opened again in July.

However, the road is set to shut again on Sunday for borehole work, and may remain closed until Christmas.

Councillors Ed Blake, Chris Quirk, and Michael Beston have expressed "serious concerns" that the closure will again "sever off" parts of Ventnor and Shanklin from the rest of the Island.

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The councillors have questioned the need for sinking the three boreholes into the road to install more monitoring devices, saying they could be positioned in private land adjacent to the road allowing the road to remain open.

They say experts have scrutinised the plans and put forward adjustments to the scheme that would keep the road safely open during the works.

Cllr Blake, ward member Ventnor and St Lawrence, said: "The road closure leaves Ventnor with a huge cloud over it. If the Graben goes down, we are left with just the Whitwell Road for access.

"This is a real possibility as it is so close to becoming impassable. Wroxall too is desperate for roadworks as its network is crumbling.

"Shanklin too will suffer particularly with the Sandown railway bridge closure disruption during September and October.

"Both Ventnor and Shanklin will basically turn into cul-de-sacs once more until Christmas."

Cllr Quirk, whose district covers the South of Shanklin, said Shanklin businesses were seriously impacted by the downturn in trade when the road first closed.

Cllr Beston who represents Shanklin Central, said limited road access deters visitors from booking accommodation and, couple with other road closures, is a "perfect storm".

However, council leader Phil Jordan said the Isle of Wight Council hosted a "very productive" meeting this week with professionals and experts from the community, the council, Island Roads, the Environment Agency and civil engineering consultants and geologists. 

One borehole will descend to a further 20m (to around 130m) to try to capture further geological layers which may indicate deep ground water movement. 

Cllr Jordan said: “Whilst I also share deeply the concerns for Ventnor I am encouraged by the agreement of the professionals and the community experts who understand and support the borehole approach to ensure the future of the road is secured." 

He said while disruption is inevitable but the medium to long term gain would be "especially improved".