A MAIN road through a village has re-opened after controversial £4.7m roadworks were completed, amid complaints about the state the area has been left in.

Station Road, in Middleton St George, will formally reopen to traffic on Saturday (January 25), after being closed since September.

The five-month closure was as a result of replacement bridge work affecting Dinsdale Station.

The old bridge was dismantled and replaced with a taller structure to allow freight trains to use the line, which links Teesport and the East Coast main line.

Local residents have complained about a number of issues during the work, including increased traffic on nearby rural roads, lack of access and lost internet connection.

Councillor Doris Jones, who represents the village at borough and parish level, said residents had suffered months of ‘living hell’.

She added: “We drove over the bridge today and nearly fell out of the car with shock at the finished product.

“The wall looks like a patchwork quilt and newly-laid tarmac has had to be pulled up already for some reason.

“We are relieved that the bridge is open again and we have got our road back, but to think we have been through all this disruption and for it to be left like that, there is no cause for celebration.”

Taxi shuttles that were operated during the closure have ceased and Arriva bus services will resume on Saturday.

Residents living in Middleton One Row and to the south of Dinsdale station will once again be able to connect direct to Darlington town centre, Hurworth and Trees Park Village without changing buses.

Darlington Borough Council said new bus stops are due to be installed soon.

Until then, passengers can access the temporary bus stops currently in operation on Station Road.