Britain’s ‘wonkiest road’ – which was so crooked it was used as a makeshift skate park – has finally reopened after £5million worth of repairs.
A 330ft stretch of the B4069 in Lyneham, Wiltshire was broken up when a landslip caused it to slide 82ft downhill during Storm Eunice in February 2022.
It became unusable for vehicles but the breaks and buckles appealed to skaters and BMX riders who flocked there to practice their extreme stunts.
A traffic regulation was then put in place which made it an offence to use the road.
It was used by more than 5,500 vehicles per day and its closure impacted local business whose customers relied on the route to reach them.
Wiltshire Council splashed out £5million on repairing the damage, including constructing a 590ft long retaining wall.
Wiltshire Council’s Nick Holder was in charge of overseeing the project where contractors were expected to work six days a week for 12 hours a day to complete it.
The councillor who represents the area, Alison Bucknell, said it has been a ‘long, slow journey’ to its reopening.
A 330-foot stretch of the B4069 in Lyneham, Wiltshire was broken up when a landslip caused it to slide 82-foot downhill during Storm Eunice in February 2022
It became unusable for vehicles but the breaks and buckles appealed to skaters and BMX riders who flocked there to practice their extreme stunts
The wonky road is now repaired and reopened after a £5million repair project by the local council
An aerial view of the repaired road which was damaged by a landslide during Storm Eunice in 2022
A scooter rider uses a broken part of the road as a makeshift ramp to perform his tricks for the camera
She added: ‘The most important thing is that we can get our lives back to normal as soon as possible.’
Ms Bucknell also hit back at ‘disbelievers’ who doubted the road could ever be fixed.
Some locals thought the repairs would be a waste of taxpayer’s money as the road runs through an area which has always been unstable but Wiltshire Council insisted it has a legal duty to repair it.
Responded to some residents request for an official opening, Ms Bucknell said there will be ‘no balloons, no fanfare, no drumroll’.
Locals at the time complained that the work could be futile if the land slips again and insisted the council should look for alternative routes on more stable round.
The council said drainage ditches have been installed for a ‘long-term solution to the ground instability’.
