A PUBLIC meeting is being held at the end of the month for council officials to explain to residents why an important Exmoor road has to be closed for four months.

Somerset Council is planning to close the B3224 between Wheddon Cross and Exford from January 8 to May 10 next year.

It needs to build a retaining wall at Roundwater, where a tree was brought down during a winter 2020 storm and damaged the roadside embankment.

The road has been under temporary traffic lights controlling one-way traffic ever since, and was closed for a fortnight last month while preparatory works were carried out.

Angry residents have criticised the plans on social media for having an ‘unacceptable’ effect on people’s lives.

Now, a public meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 29, to be chaired by Exmoor’s Somerset Cllr Steven Pugsley.

It will be held in the Moorland Hall, Cutcombe, at 7.30 pm and will offer residents an opportunity to meet and question the contractors, members of the council’s highways, bridges, and structures team, utilities businesses, and other local councillors.

The council has said it did not want to close the road for so long but the project was complex and large plant machinery would be needed.