'Huge relief' as badger-damaged road fixed earlier than planned in Mablethorpe

Lincolnshire's highways boss and the people of Mablethorpe can breathe a sigh of relief after a road damaged by badgers was fixed ahead of schedule. Emergency roadworks took place on Seaholme Road in Mablethorpe after badgers dug tunnels under the road, causing it to collapse.

Because of the badger breeding season which runs from the start of December until the end of June, all works on filling in the tunnels and repairing the damage to the collapsing road had to be completed by the end of November. If not, then Seaholme Road would have had to remain closed until next July.

Residents of Mablethorpe were not best pleased with the disruption the animals caused. However, the repairs have now been finished ahead of schedule and the road has reopened. In total, the scheme to repair the badger damage and get the road back in working order cost around £120,000.

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Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for Highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "It’s a huge relief to get this road reopened for the people of Mablethorpe, and to be able to do it a full five days earlier than we first thought is a real testament to the hard work of our roads team. We worked within Natural England’s license restrictions, and with a badger expert ecologist, to make sure that the animals came to zero harm and were successfully moved away from the site.

"We then set about excavating, rebuilding and then re-laying the road top and the footpath as quickly as we could, so that we could be sure of getting the work completed in time. If we hadn’t been able to, then the people of Mablethorpe would have had the road closed until next July, when Natural England would again be able to grant a license for the vital work on the damage caused by the badger sett.

"We simply couldn’t put up with that full-time closure for that long, purely because of badgers. That’s just not fair for Mablethorpe, and it was not something that our Highways team were going to let happen.

"And now our crew have done a brilliant job, and the road is open and usable again."