A road which collapsed during torrential rain last year is set to reopen following £1/4m of repairs.

The Dunrod Road in Inverkip is set to re-open on 12 October.

Inverclyde Council says it used "emergency powers" to repair the road at a cost of £250,000.

Substantial road diversions in place throughout the project will be lifted on 12 October to allow traffic to use the newly repaired road.

The council described the project to rebuild the road and support the hillside below it as "technically challenging."

Despite working in a constrained and remote location, the contractor "has produced a solution aimed at safeguarding the road from flood damage for many years to come", said the council.

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Measures have been put in place to help prevent a re-occurrence.

The hillside below the road collapse has been reinforced with soil nails, while the newly supported hillside was built up in new stone so that the new section of road could be built on top.

Rain that falls in the vicinity of the new road will now be channeled under the road in pipes to help prevent another land slip.

Environment & Regeneration Convener Councillor Michael McCormick said: "This repair was desperately needed as this is a vital route. This is a project that has proved to be a challenge for the engineers and for the council financially. Half the width of the road has slipped down the hillside so we have had to call in specialists to advise how we can reinforce the ground before putting the road on top. It is also an area of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) which restricts the methods we can use."

(IT/GK)