Drivers urged to 'go slow' as badgers tunnel underneath Yeovil road
Penn Cross Lane is now set to be evaluated by experts before the council can make permanent repairs
Somerset drivers are being advised to drive with caution on a road near Yeovil – after it was undermined by badgers.
Penn Cross Lane runs between the villages of East Coker and Pendomer, not far from Sutton Bingham reservoir and a stone’s throw from the Dorset border.
Somerset Council has had to make temporary repairs to a short stretch of the road between the two villages after badgers tunnelled underneath the road and undermined its foundation.
The council said that more permanent repairs will be made once an ecological survey has been carried out.
A spokesman said: “There are temporary plates covering the damage and these can safely remain in place until further information has been gathered.
“An ecology report is being carried out and any repair works will need to be designed around this.
“It’s not clear whether the sett is live – how we proceed will be very much led by the specialist advice and guidance from the ecologist.”
Under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, it is illegal to disturb, damage or destroy a badger’s sett, whether deliberately or unintentionally.
The road is be one of several local rat runs which motorists may elect to use when the A30 West Coker Road is closed for resurfacing between late-July and early-September, rather than follow the official diversion through Crewkerne and along the A303.
Chinnock Hollow – which once served as the main rat ran between Yeovil and the A30 – is now closed indefinitely after the council concluded it “could not justify” spending around £2.7m on reopening the route.
For more information on roadworks in your area, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/roadworks-and-travel.