WORK to stabilise a scenic County Durham road which was shut following a landslide last summer has been completed.

A 180m stretch of the riverbank at Dial Stob Hill, Binchester, near Bishop Auckland, had suffered from continued erosion and slippages which resulted in damage to the adjacent road.

The route runs alongside the picturesque River Wear and neighbours visitor attractions including Binchester Roman Fort and Eleven Arches' Kynren site.

Mark Readman, Durham County Council’s highways services manager, said: “The area was prone to slippages and needed significant work to combat erosion.

"We have installed rock armour walls, reconstructed riverbank areas with imported granular fill and geogrids and addressed the drainage of the embankment.

“Not only has this project made the road more stable, but we have also carried out planting and fencing work to compliment the surrounding landscape.”

Whilst the carriageway was officially reopened in December, essential work on the parallel embankments finished this week.

For details of roadworks across the county visit durham.gov.uk/roadworks