A HILL which has suffered from two landslips is to be rebuilt - for the second time in just over five years.

In one of the biggest engineering projects ever accomplished in east Cleveland, 15 men, working 12-hour shifts, reshaped Loftus Bank, in just nine months, following a devastating landslide in 1999.

They removed 20,000 tonnes of unstable ground and replaced it with 200,000 tonnes of clay fill.

Work following the latest landslip begins on Monday and is expected to take 14 weeks.

The latest problem was identified last July, during a routine maintenance check.

Residents' early fears that the problem was linked to the earlier slip and could create a multi-million pound repair bill proved unfounded and a £500,000 emergency grant was secured for the new remedial work needed, from the Department of Transport, in April.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's partners for highways and street lighting, Alfred Mcalpine, will rebuild the slope to a shallower angle by replacing the current steep clay fill with single-size stone.

The work is expected to be completed in mid-September.

Loftus bank carries the busy A174 trunk road. Traffic lights will be in force during much of the works, but weekend road closures will be introduced towards the end of the 14 weeks, to enable completion of the reconstruction and resurfacing of the section of damaged carriageway.

Councillor Eric Empson, the council's cabinet member for strategic planning, development and infrastructure, said: "I'm delighted that repairs are going to get under way after all the meticulous work over the past year to identify the problem.

"It is even more satisfying given all the hard work the council has put in to finding funding for a route that is vital to our east Cleveland communities.

"The council will clearly aim to limit disruption to commuters during the repair period."