Repairs to fix mineshaft damage road begin

Residents continue to face disruption as repairs to two mineshafts on the same road get under way.

People in Troon, near Camborne, have called for Cornwall Council to take action after a "significant" hole opened up on Newton Road in May - just metres from another mining feature which was fenced off last year.

The road was initially expected to shut for investigations until November, but Cornwall Council's highways division now expects the work, which started on Wednesday, to last 10 weeks.

It follows the separate six-month closure of nearby Pendarves Road in Beacon, which reopened last month. Residents stress the last few weeks have been "hellish" and they continue to face lengthy diversions.

Troon resident Melanie Brown said: "The original closure at Beacon that left us cut off for six months, we had three exits.

"But now with our own closure we've only got two. And one of those is highly dangerous so we're having to make quite a detour to get just down into Camborne."

She added: "The original date of 27 November has now changed to 10 weeks from the last few days, so we'll see. As you can see we're not very hopeful."

Mike Goldsworthy said residents face a seven mile detour to get around the closure while works are under way - and he is "wasting diesel" with every drive.

"We've got to go bloody miles around to go anywhere, even shopping," he said. "It's disgusting."

Mark Johns, who lives just metres from the affected area, is relieved repairs are being carried out, but said the disruption had been "chaos".

"We had two weeks of a bit of a break, and then this happened," he said of the latest road closure.

"In the meantime people who live in Troon now have either got to drive all the way around to Pendarves which is quite a dangerous road - you either go to Praze or you got to go to Four Lanes and around Four Lanes to Camborne it's about seven miles."

He added: "Let's hope they do something about it and not until next Christmas before it's sorted out again."

Residents have been warned the road will be closed for the duration of the repairs.

They have also been told any cars parked in a specific restricted area could be towed at the owner's expense.

A spokesperson for Cormac, Cornwall Council's highways wing, previously said of the work: "Now that all investigations have been completed and arrangements with utility providers finalised, we are able to move forward with the project.

"The work is expected to take around 10 weeks. As with projects of this nature, unexpected challenges can arise once excavation begins. If this happens, we will keep everyone updated and respond swiftly to resolve any issues."

They said the road closure will remain in place until the project is complete, noting a "clearway zone" will also be in force for 24 hours a day.

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