ANGRY protesters made their voices heard as a vintage bus became the first vehicle to climb the re-opened Loftus Bank.

Residents and shopkeepers who believe the extended work has caused them unnecessary disruption gathered as the road was re-opened on Friday by local MP Ashok Kumar.

They say it could have been opened three weeks earlier, but was delayed for the ceremony.

Dr Kumar defended the work. "First of all this is a day of celebration and a lot of people have made a lot of effort," he said.

"The road was meant to be re-opened on Sunday, but we asked the experts and they brought it forward for this grand opening."

The bus, from TV's Heartbeat series, climbed the bank to mark the end of one of Redcar and Cleveland Council's most complex engineering contracts - £3m-worth of Government-funded work.

The council's lead member for environment and infrastructure, Coun Sylvia Szintai, said the opening ceremony marked the end of 'a very difficult job that has been very well done.'

"We know only too well the problems the bank's closure has caused and we would not wish those difficulties on anyone.

"But this work has been absolutely essential for the road's long-term future," she said.

There will be no traffic lights or weight limit on the Bank, and any vehicle can use the restored road