A WYESIDE village’s main road, which was closed for more than a year after Storm Dennis caused a landslip, is to shut again later this month for yet more roadworks.

At least this time the B4224 Fownhope road is only set to shut for five days for resurfacing - although the original roadworks that took 13 months were only supposed to take six.

The road from Holme Lacy bridge was originally going to be shut last August for resurfacing, just five months after reopening.

But villagers and commuters persuaded road menders to change their minds after raising concerns that the closure could damage tourism during the busy summer holiday month.

Now Herefordshire Council contractor Balfour Beatty Living Place has announced that the work will take place from Monday, February 21, to Friday, February 25.

It has told local residents in a letter that the road will be closed between Scotch Firs and Lower House Gardens from 9am until 5pm on the Monday.

It will then be shut from Mordiford to Fownhope from Tuesday to Friday.

A spokesperson said: "The nature of the work will require us to close the road for one week.

"This is for the safety of both our workforce and the travelling public, as the road is not wide enough to accommodate our machinery and a safe running lane for traffic.

"We have planned these works during the half-term to minimise disruption as much as possible, particularly to school traffic.

"We will do everything we can to assist with access, although there may be limited periods of time when it is not safe to travel through the closure, when there may be long delays."

A diversion will operate via the B4224 to Ross-on-Wye, to the A49 and then the A438 Ledbury Road to Dormington to rejoin the B4224, although emergency services will have access at all times.

The Fiddler’s Green to Fownhope stretch was severely damaged by Storm Dennis in February 2020, with a substantial part of the carriageway collapsing.

Damage included a 6.5 metre wide landslip and a partial collapse of a 100-metre retaining wall.

Transport bosses at Herefordshire Council originally anticipated that the work would be completed by the end of September, but it took until March 2021 before drivers were able to fully use it again.

Fownhope and Woolhope parish councillors both expressed the frustration of residents over the long delay, and the county council launched an independent examination into why problems and delays had hampered progress.

Last October, the council announced that £900,000 had become available for storm damage road repairs, after the Fownhope project was completed for less than a third of the £1.57m originally budgeted.