WORK to repair a landslip on a busy road could take more than a year.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's investigation into the cause of the slip, at Loftus Bank, is expected to show it was not linked to £2.5m repair work on the road three years ago.

A routine inspection in July found that the crash barrier on the west side of the A174, at Loftus Bank, had buckled because of a minor landslip on the embankment.

Temporary traffic lights to keep vehicles away from the downhill lane, from the Loftus direction, have been in operation as a safety measure since then. Investigations have been carried out to try to pinpoint the problem.

The possibility of a leaking water main being responsible was ruled out at an early stage as well as any connection with earlier work 100 metres up the bank.

The cabinet member for strategic planning, development and infrastructure, Councillor Eric Empson, said a short-term solution could not be achieved.

He said: "Taking the previous landslip as a guide, completion of remedial works could take 12 months or more, with design and tendering procedures adding possibly a further three to four months.

"Every effort will be made to undertake the works without full road closure, so we can keep using the present signal control system."