SOMERSET County Council says it is confident the Beacon Road in Ilminster will be open before Christmas.

The B3168 was closed earlier this year after heavy rain caused it to move and repair work began on October 27.

An extensive investigation was carried out to discover what caused the road to slip and a specialist piece of kit was used to reduce work on a new drainage system.

The repairs include full reconstruction of the highway and footways, and a new drainage system, and are estimated to take about seven weeks.

A spokesperson for the county council said: “Work to rebuild the road at the Beacon, Ilminster, is continuing to progress at good speed despite some recent challenging weather.

“We are hopeful the work will be completed ready for re-opening in the week beginning December 15, although this is dependent on good weather.

“We would like to thank the local residents, who are being extremely patient, courteous and accommodating, for their on-going support.”

Yeovil MP David Laws said: “Everybody in the local area has been waiting an awfully long time for The Beacon to be repaired and there was a lot of relief when the work finally began last month.

“I am pleased to see that the work has progressed well, despite the poor weather, and that the repairs are still scheduled to finish before Christmas.

“Hopefully the Highways Office will be able to stick to this timeframe and December will mark the end of this longrunning and frustrating saga.”