THE Government is being asked to make a ‘significant contribution’ to the cost of reopening the B3191 Watchet to Blue Anchor road.

The road was shut at Cleeve Hill in January, 2023, because of subsidence in the nearby coastal cliffs and although pedestrians and cyclists were later allowed access it has remained closed to vehicles.

The closure has been blamed for a dramatic fall in the number of visitors to Watchet and has resulted in huge traffic queues on the A39 when crashes have occurred or roadworks were needed with the B3191 alternative route no longer open.

Now, Somerset Council has made a bid to the Government’s Structures Fund to help with the estimated £30 to £40 million cost of reopening the road.

The road would either need to be moved further inland or sufficient engineering works carried out to make the existing carriageway safe for vehicles.

Somerset executive Cllr Richard Wilkins said: “There is, of course, no guarantee that we can get this agreed, and any scheme would need to be approved by council.

“But, we have been directed to this fund by the Secretary of State who recognises the issues locally.

“This is the first real chance we have had to find a way to reinstate this vital route for the community since it closed in 2023.

“We will be pushing hard for this funding, as we have been doing so from the outset.

“We fully understand the impact on the community of only having one road into Watchet, and the potential impact on the West Somerset traffic that has to take long diversions if the A39 has to close due to an incident.

“We consulted our communities about the ongoing closure and they told us that it is having a major effect on the economy of Watchet, including the cost to the local economy and the inconvenience in terms of hours lost in delays, the logistics of coping with delivering goods to and from Minehead, as well as the negative effects on tourism.”