Skip to content

Island landslip site road fully reopens

Isle of Wight Council Large rocks and boulders strewn down cliff side buildings and road among trees Isle of Wight Council
The collapse initially forced residents to leave about 20 properties off Leeson Road

A road near the site of a vast landslip that happened nearly a year ago on the Isle of Wight has fully reopened.

The huge collapse on 10 December saw 16 hectares (40 acres) of land fall away and left several homes teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Residents were forced to leave 20 homes and closed the A3055 Leeson Road between Shanklin and Ventnor.

Devices in boreholes reaching 427ft (130m) into the ground are in place to monitor any further movement.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of the landslip at Ventnor

The equipment will continuously monitor the area and give an early warning of any increase in the risks of a future landslip.

Isle of Wight Council said there will also be weekly site inspections and regular reviews of automated data.

The authority said if the road needed to be closed, details would be published on the council's social media channels as quickly as possible.

One lane of the road reopened for the summer holidays - it fully closed again on 8 September.

During the closure, drivers were diverted from Ventnor, via Wroxall, and from Shanklin, via Whiteley Bank.

Island Echo Buildings on the edge of the cliffs with chunks of cliffs, fallen trees and large cracks Island Echo
Aerial photos captured by Island Echo showed the extent of the massive landslip

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.

More on this story
Related Links