Puckshole: Vigilante road clearers stalled and road could be closed for months

Vigilante road clearers were hoping to bring some cheer to local residents and clear the mudslide from Puckshole (for more photos see one of my blog entries for 22nd July).

Photo: Puckshole road closed

These heroic folk even had a digger but sadly as they investigated it became apparent the site is quite unstable. I also got today this email from Highways in response to my query re the road - I did note in my email to them that I guessed it would not be a priority - sadly it looks like it will be a long while before the road reopens:

We are aware of the problem, but at the moment we are concentrating on the emergency itself. Our workforce has been fully tied up in protecting Walham, Mythe etc. delivering portaloos etc. and reopening the major network.

The land that has slipped belongs to the property the drive leads to and is ultimately their responsibility. We will be making contact as soon as possible, but at the moment this is not a priority. We have not cleared the road, as this may lead to further slippage, which could worsen the situation, especially with more heavy rainfall forecast this weekend.

Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to clear the road, as they will not only endanger themselves, but anyone who later attempted to pass through. I arranged for some stone to be placed over the mud to create a walkway on Monday, and I am happy to top this up if needed, as infill actually makes it more stable. Realistically we are talking months, but I can't say for sure until we can get it checked out in more detail.