WORK to repair a landslip-hit road link between Darlington and Teesdale will begin this week.

A landslip occurred on the A67 at Carlbury, between Piercebridge and High Coniscliffe, in February last year.

Darlington Borough Council and Northumbrian Water successfully applied for £2.4m of Government funding to restore the road.

The work will be carried out in three phases, starting on Saturday (February 8).

During phase one, the road will be closed for two weeks while Northumbrian Water carries out tests in advance of the main works starting.

It will then re-open, with temporary traffic lights.

Phase two, between May and September, will see the road closed while water pipes are diverted away from the unstable section of road.

In phase three, which is scheduled to run from October until March next year, work to stabilise almost 400m of unstable embankment will be carried out.

The road will be closed during phases two and three, meaning it will be closed for almost a year, from May 2014 to April 2015.

A diversion route will be in place during the closure.

The diversion route will be the B6275, B6279 Staindrop Road, B6280 Carmel Rd North and A67 Coniscliffe Road and vice versa.

The extent of the works will mean Durham Lane will not be open and use of this road will only for residents to gain access to their properties from Ulnaby Lane.