A BUSY coast road, closed for three days because of fears of a landslip, was re-opened on Tuesday after it was found that warnings given by hi-tech detection equipment had been caused by damage by vandals.

The B3191 Watchet-Blue Anchor road, which runs only yards from a 120ft cliff-edge at Cleeve Hill, and which would be diverted inland if a nearby proposed 136-home development scheme goes ahead, is monitored by electronic sensors after a series of landslips.

Last Saturday morning the road was closed by county highways department after a sensor on the cliffside - designed to measure movement - was triggered. Highways technicians were sent to the scene and traffic blocked off at Watchet and diverted on to the A39 main road, causing serious delays.

Police are investigating the incident after it was found that components in the detection system had been broken.

A Somerset County Council spokesman told the Free Press: "An inspection by our team discovered that the equipment appeared to have been damaged by a member of the public, causing the alert and subsequent closure.

"The system is in place to raise the alarm in the event of a potentially dangerous landslip and vandalism of this kind causes disruption and delays for road-users and local residents.

"We would urge anyone who has information about this incident to please contact the police on 101 or email our team at [email protected]"

The road at Cleeve Hill has a history of landslips. In January 2020 it was closed for a week after the alarm was triggered by a faulty sensor in the solar-powered automatic system.