NATIONAL Highways has hit back at claims by a safety campaigner over the A40 landfall near Ganarew saying the information he put out was “misleading”.

Andy Smith said the A40 Safety Group were “shocked” by the failure of the roads organisation to take note of past monitoring reports.

The group claims that two landslides in 2018 and 2019 should have been “advance warning” of the February 2024 landslide, which led to the closure of the carriageway.

“The earlier landslides were reported to you, but they were not acted upon,” he said.

However, a spokesman for National Highways has said that they have monitored the area for 60 years, “drawing on the expertise of specialists renowned in their field”.

“It is not correct to say that there was advance warning of instability which was not acted upon and has resulted in the unplanned road closure.

“Although we are disappointed that misleading information is being shared, despite our continued efforts to reassure and fully inform those involved, it is impossible to offer detailed technical discussions in a public discourse.

“Further details will be provided in due course and shared at public events.”

National Highways points out that “landslips and rockfalls are not the same and are dealt with differently”, and they are currently working to resolve the 2024 rockfall and protect against any repetition in this area.

“Through our monitoring, we are aware of any movements that have taken place both on the sections of hillside that we are responsible for and those in private ownership,” said the spokesperson.

National Highways also claims that the majority of the hillside does not belong to them, but “we do regularly inspect it for issues that could impact on our network. We will be working with adjacent landowners to implement a longer term risk management option.”