Village's landslip work to begin

The scene at Tintern following the landslip in February 2007

A £1.5m project to stabilise land at a Monmouthshire village is to start next month, nearly two years since the first of two landslips.

Engineers expect work to secure the Barbadoes woodlands above Tintern to be finished by June 2009.

Forestry Commission Wales (FCW), who manage the land, asked people to bear with them during the "difficult" work.

Slips in February 2007 and January 2008 led to the temporary closure of the A466 main road through the village.

Trees and rocks were washed down the slope following the collapse in 2007.

Engineers will stabilise the land by reinforcing the ground with steel bars.

A protective mesh will then be installed to allow vegetation to re-cover the site.

'Disruption'

Drainage improvements and repairs to a damaged fence will also be carried out.

FCW said the reasons for the landslip were complex and included the geology, gradient and rainfall at the site.

Mr Stoddart, the forest manager for the area, said: "We have been acutely aware of the disruption this has caused to the lives of residents and visitors to this beautiful part of Wales and are pleased now to be able to proceed with work to finally solve this extremely challenging issue once and for all.

"We regret that further traffic restrictions may be necessary for short periods when work gets under way but we hope people will understand that, as a responsible and competent land manager, safety is our prime consideration."

He added that he hoped the work would be complete before the school summer holidays.