MAJOR engineering works will be needed to repair an Exmoor road where a school coach crashed in July, killing a 10-year-old pupil and injuring 21 other people.

The crash happened on the A396 Cutcombe Hill, between Wheddon Cross and Timberscombe, as Minehead Middle School pupils were returning from an end of academic year outing to Exmoor Zoo.

A Ridlers coach carrying about 60 to 70 passengers came off the road on a steep bend and overturned and slid down a 20-foot embankment, resulting in a mass casualty, multi-agency emergency response.

The road was closed for several days and eventually reopened under a temporary 20 mph zone with traffic lights controlling one-way travel.

Now, local councillors have been told by Somerset Highways that the side of the road is too severely damaged to simply install a rail and bollards.

A spokesperson said: “The road will require engineering works to support a barrier, and this is currently being explored by their engineers.

“The solution will take some time and the traffic lights and 20 mph restriction will remain in situ until the road is fully repaired.”

The unitary council has made a traffic regulation order which allows the traffic lights and 20 mph speed restriction to remain in place until the end of March next year.

Parish councillors from Timberscombe queried with the highways representatives why the traffic lights were proving to be so unreliable.

They were told specific guidelines had to be followed because of the position and slope of the road, which included a longer than usual delay on ‘red’ to allow for slow and heavy vehicles to move uphill from a stationary start.

The spokesperson said: “So, if you seem to have to wait for a long time on ‘red’, please be patient.

“The position of the site means that battery-operated lights have to be used.

“These are more likely to break down.

“If you come across non-functioning lights, please report them immediately to the police or to Somerset Highways during working hours via their website page ‘report a problem on the roads’.”

The spokesperson said one of the reasons the traffic lights were switching themselves off was because some drivers went through the lights just after they had turned red, tailgating the vehicle in front.

They said: “If the traffic lights sense traffic still coming through the lights on red, they register a problem and turn off to do a reset.

“Please do not be tempted to pass through the lights on red.

“You may be the cause of the next accident.”

Timberscombe parish chairwoman Cllr Katy Attwater at the council’s last meeting praised the emergency services teams who responded to the school bus tragedy.

Cllr Attwater said: “I would like to honour all the courage and care that has been shown and give thanks that so many survived.”

She said ‘all our love and sympathy’ went to those who had been affected by the incident, and especially to the family of Oliver Price, who was killed.