Cambs road washed away for second time this year

Cambridgeshire County Council has said it is seeking a ‘long-lasting solution’ for a road that was swept away by flood water for a second time this year.

Little Paxton Bridge in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, has been closed after water from the River Great Ouse flooded its approach road, Mill Lane, which was only resurfaced seven months ago but has now disintegrated.

A spokesperson for the highway authority said: ‘We are in the process of investigating why previous repairs in this location have failed.

‘We will conduct repairs as soon as possible but it is important that we take the necessary time to design a long-lasting solution. We cannot yet say when we will be able to safely re-open the road.’

The bridge that connects St Neots and Little Paxton has failed twice in the last seven months due to flooding, which has led to many residents complaining that the repairs were "shoddy". Here is a short thread to add some scientific context to those claims ?? pic.twitter.com/UTAjE5oEHn

— Stephen Ferguson (@borofergie) October 5, 2024

In February, residents complained that the road, which had been repaired after flooding in January but had flooded again, was ‘not fit for purpose’ and should be ‘tackled at the root'.

Stephen Ferguson, a district and county councillor, said that the bridge had experienced significant damage twice in the last seven months, after the area saw flooding levels that have only been observed three times in the past 12 or more years.

He added that the council was also considering whether to invest in a feasibility report into raising the road.