A COUNTRY road, closed for almost a year following damage caused by a landslip, is set to reopen following £475,000 worth of work.

The C131 between Bridgehill and Allensford, near Consett, was closed last May to repair large cracks in the surface.

The damage was caused following heavy rainfall in February 2013 and work has been ongoing for more than two years.

One carriageway is now open with temporary traffic lights in place and Durham County Council has said traffic will be running in both directions in a few weeks.

John Reed, the council’s head of technical services, said: “We have been able to reopen one lane of the C131 Pemberton Road following repairs to a landslip and we hope to be able to fully reopen the road in the next few weeks.

“This has been a complex job as the landslip was extensive and a number of specialist surveys had to be carried out in order to establish the exact cause of the problem.

“As part of the repair work we have installed measures to reduce the risk of erosion and improve drainage in order to try to prevent such an incident happening again.

“We have also put in new kerbing, fencing and a safety barrier as part of the work.”

The total cost of the work includes specialist surveys, design, traffic management and tree clearance as well as the repairs.

The closure affected the section of road between Allensford picnic site and the Diocesan Youth Village, a Catholic retreat centre for young people from across the region.

A lengthy diversion has been in place along the A68 and A692 through Castleside, Consett and Blackhill.

A spokesman for Allensford Caravan Site said business has more than halved while the diversion was in place.

He said: “It has been a real nuisance. As far as trade is concern it has had a bad impact.

“A lot of people have seen the road closed sign and it has deterred people from coming down and having a look.

“It has halved trade without a doubt, on the touring side of things especially. At Easter weekend we were pretty quiet and last year we were full!"