A FORMER Ashwell man believes anti-tank bunkers used in the Second World War are to blame for the landslip of New Road in Ilminster.

John Denning, 86, said he used to help his parents farm the land next to the road 50 years ago and there were signs of the road moving then.

He said: “During the war, when I was 13 or 14, there were anti-tank bunkers built on the lower side of the road, just above the cemetery with around a 10-12ft drop “I know that land and it has always been slipping.

“I used to climb over barbed wire at the bottom of the hill near the road and cut the thistles back by hand, so I remember it well, even though it wasn’t my fondest memory.

“When I was there, cracks were always in the road surface and we put it down to the bunkers.

“There was a retainer wall built at the cemetery to support the road, but there’s a lot more traffic and much heavier traffic now than what used to drive down the road.”

Mr Denning also said there are a number of underground bunkers in the area close to the road and two concrete pill boxes, but he said they would be unlikely to affect the road because they are further towards the centre of town.

The road was closed in mid- February amid fears that a 70m section could fall down a slope.

Last week, Somerset County Council told the News investigative work found “ground water saturation”

as the primary cause of the structural damage on the road.

Repair work is expected to start in November and the council estimates that it will take eight to ten weeks, but business leaders in Ilminster have expressed concerns that the bumper Christmas trading period will be affected by the prolonged road closure.

Phillip Wyatt, of Ilminster Chamber of Commerce, has queried why one lane of the road cannot be reopened to allow traffic to and from the north of the town.

He said: “We’re heading towards the busiest time for a majority of businesses, and keeping this road closed until Christmas, based on a start date of November and eight to ten weeks’ work, could severely damage our indepen-dent traders.

“There are a quite a few new businesses in town and more starting up this month, and they need the autumn/Christmas trade to get them through the quieter months after the New Year.”

Cllr Linda Vijeh, Ilminster county councillor, has voiced concerns to highways bosses and asked if anything can be done to speed up the work so businesses do not suffer.