ILMINSTER residents and traders were rejoicing this week after The Beacon road reopened on Monday after ten months just in time for Christmas.

The Beacon was closed in midFebruary amid fears it could fall down a slope after large cracks appeared in a 70-metre section.

Somerset County Council carried out investigations at the site of the landslip and further along the route towards thebottom of New Road in the summer.

People in Ilminster joined the News in petitioning for the road to be re-opened amid fears the project would be neglected by highways bosses.

The council had to rebuild areas of it, with work starting in October.

Clinton Bonner, of Bonner’s Butchers in the town, said: “It’s fantastic news that it is open in time for Christmas.

I don’t know why they couldn’t have started work earlier but they seem to have done a great job and hopefully people will start coming back into Ilminster.

“Some of the customers I would see every week from places like Langport who use that route, would only visit me once a month.

"The only other way in was to use the A358 and it gets so busy, especially in the summertime, so I do think the closure had an impact. It might all be in my head but I certainly think I had more customers on Monday afternoon.”

The extensive repairs included a full reconstruction of sections of the highways and a new drainage system.

The works were completed in seven weeks as teams pulled out all of the stops to get the road reopened before Christmas.

Specialist machinery was brought in which meant excavations for the new drains were completed far quicker than by conventional methods.

Ilminster Chamber of Commerce president Phillip Wyatt said: “It’s excellent news for traders and residents who have waited so long for the road to be reopened.

“I think the closure has had an impact, at first people made the effort to come around the road but as the months went on I think it got too much.

The council has done a good job getting it opened before Christmas as this is a really busy time for shoppers.”

Cllr Harvey Siggs, the county council’s cabinet member for Highways, said: “I’m so pleased the work has now finished and we’ve fulfilled our commitment to reopening the road in time for Christmas, proving the doubters wrong.

"This was the largest highway slippage experienced in Somerset for many years and a huge amount of work took place behind the scenes to find out what was causing the problem.

“My thanks to all the workers who have done a first class job in completely removing and rebuilding the road in just seven weeks.

"I would also like to thank the local residents who remained so patient and understanding during the closure and while the repairs were being carried out.

“We know it’s been frustrating and we hope they can all enjoy a very happy Christmas now work is complete.”