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UK's wonkiest road reopens after three-year closure

BBC Two horses with riders walking down a new, freshly tarmacked road under a blue sky.BBC
The road has reopened to much excitement from local residents

People living near a road once dubbed Britain's wonkiest say they are excited it is back open - and not at all wonky.

A large section of the B4069 at Lyneham Banks, in Wiltshire, was damaged by a landslip during Storm Eunice in 2022.

Three years and one month later, at a cost of £5m to Wiltshire Council, it is open again and diversion signs will be taken down over the next few days.

Trish Blacker, who lives in Bradenstoke where diverted lorries had to travel down tiny roads, said it was "going to be seriously positive".

Trish Blacker wears a black hoodie and smiles into the camera under a blue sky. She stands in front of a hedge.
Trish Blacker has spent up to two hours a day on the school run

Ms Blacker said the lengthy diversion route had meant the school run could take two hours each day.

"It's been a struggle," she said. "I'm a mum with four children. It's meant a huge amount of time in the car. It's been frustrating, but I'm excited."

Ms Blacker said there had been anger when the road first closed, but added this had died down over time.

She said people were now in "high spirits" at the opening.

"It is going to give everybody more time," she added.

One side of a road has been pushed up by a landslip under it and it resembles a skate ramp. In the distance, a large dip can be seen in another section of the route alongside a large crack in the road's surface.
The road was closed after a major landslip in February 2022

Kirt lives in Lyneham and explained the long diversion had been costing him a lot in petrol.

"It should only be a 14-mile round trip for me to go to work. I've being doing 34 a day," he said.

On the road re-opening, he said: "It feels absolutely amazing. It's like a weight lifted off my shoulders."

He also remembers seeing the road breaking - noticing a big hole just before it shut.

"If you saw the state of it, you could see why it took so long," he added.

John Williams - wearing glasses and a blue fleece and jumper - smiles at the camera, blue sky and greenery behind.
Local resident John Williams has been watching progress and said the contractors had worked really hard

John Williams lives in Lyneham and can see the road from his home.

He said the diversion meant he had had to drive an additional 5,000 miles (8,047km) during the three-year closure.

"I'm not angry," he said. "I just sort of accepted it really. [It was] just one of those things we had to put up with."

Mr Williams said he was impressed by the work, especially with the planting of new hedgerows and trees.

"They've really worked hard - they've got it done on time," he said.

The project has been described as "challenging" by both the council and the contractor Octavius.

This was because the land was moving for a while after the landslip and there had to be a lot of investigation to work out how to repair it.

Now the road is open once again, Ms Blacker said she would be travelling down it blasting On The Road Again by Willy Nelson.

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