Drivers are up in arms after the closure of a road in Suffolk, forcing them to take a lengthy diversion.
Commuters through Stanton, Suffolk, face significant disruption after the A143 was forced to shut due to heat damage.
The stretch of road through the picturesque countryside connecting Stanton and Ixworth closed this week after issues caused by high temperatures were detected.
It is the most direct route between Scole and Bury St Edmunds.
Motorists have to navigate the small country lanes during the closure, which is expected to last until Monday during repairs.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Larger vehicles unsuitable for smaller roads have to take a 62-mile diversion.
Garage owner Jordan Griffiths, who runs JG Services in Stanton, said recovery trucks have to take a four or five-mile diversion every time they go out on a job, making recovery times longer for customers and workers.
Speaking to Bury Mercury, he described the state of the road as an ‘absolute mess’ and the long diversion as ‘diabolical.’
Bury St Edmunds MP Peter Prinsley warned of the ‘significant disruption’ to residents, commuters and businesses.
He said: ‘This disruption is having a major impact on residents, commuters and businesses, and local people deserve urgent answers on how this situation was allowed to develop and how quickly the road will reopen.’
In a letter to the highways authority, the MP said residents had already flagged concerns about the road condition before the heatwave.
He wrote: ‘Constituents will understandably want to know how the road was allowed to deteriorate to this extent, and whether earlier intervention could have prevented the current level of disruption.’
Suffolk Highways said the worst defects will be repaired this week, and that the road had already been identified for further improvement works later this summer.
It said the ‘prolonged hot weather and local traffic conditions’ sped up the deterioration of the road surface.
Across the county’s roads, three miles’ worth of road in separate sections have been affected by heat, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, councillor Christopher Hudson, said.
Teams are monitoring the situation, carrying out inspections and taking preventative measures, he said.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.