CONTINUED delays to repair the road that links Drybrook with Ross-on-Wye have prompted a local businessman to generate a petition.

Already amounting to more than 1,000 signatures in only a fortnight the petition was the brainchild of Trevor Giffiths of Overbrook Garage and Recovery Services, and he is hoping that it may help to galvanise Gloucestershire County Council's highways department into speeding up the repairs to the road – officially designated as 'Hawthorns Road' but known locally as The Cutting – which has now been closed for 14 months.

Mr Griffiths told the Review: "So much time has been wasted on the repairs to this road – which have meant serious repercussions for businesses and people who regularly use it. The delays don't make any sense either, they have had a long dry summer to get the structure back into working order, but now we are heading into winter – so I have no idea if they can even continue in the coming months."

He added: "The effects on the local businesses have been felt by many - my business of selling fuel at the filling station has been hit by the drop in passing trade.

"But I also have thirty recovery vehicles on the road, and the increased mileage as we have to negotiate the closure of The Cutting is also costing a huge amount of time and money. And there has been no question of their paying anyone compensation over the delays. I think that someone high up in the highways department should be responsible for their actions in causing the delays."

A letter was sent from the county council in November last year to residents and businesses, explaining the technical challenges that the road presented, but without giving a definite time scale for the completion of the repairs.

More recently, a statement was issued in October via the council's website, which said: "Highways engineers have been carrying out investigations at the site in Hawthorns Road since the landslip happened in November 2012. The slip occurred after a very wet summer, which was immediately followed by a period of heavy rainfall that caused a number of landslips countywide.

"Next month engineers will start preparatory work on site with full repairs taking place throughout December and January. The road will reopen shortly after work is complete."

Local highways manager Brian Watkins said: "We started our investigations immediately after the slip happened to find out the extent of the damage.

"We also carried out significant topographic and ecological surveys to work out the state of the bedrock and ground conditions, and this all takes time to complete.

"We are working as quickly as possible to sort this out."

Work has already started in stabilising the road's foundations and kerbs, by drilling into the bedrock and inserting reinforced steel bars, measuring between 5 and 10 metres long, these will then be covered in steel mesh to prevent any further erosion.

The council is expecting that the total cost of the repairs will be in the region of £150,000.

Cabinet member for highways at the county council, Cllr Vernon Smith commented: "I know how difficult this road closure has been for local people and businesses and I would really like to thank them for their continued patience.

"This is a huge job, and with the added complication of a high pressure gas main, we have to make sure that we get it right. Our teams will be working as quickly and efficiently as possible and, all being well, the road should be re-opneed in early 2014."

Gloucestershire Highways have said that they did investigate the possibility of reopening one lane of the road, with temporary traffic lights, but the ground conditions suggested that any loading on the road could affect the high pressure gas main.

Confusingly the official road closures notice on the county council website features Hawthorns Road twice: one with a completion date of January 1, the other extending that to February 3.

A diversion around the closed road remains in place, via the A4136 to Huntley, then the A40 to Ross.