A CAMPAIGN by a Cornwall councillor to prevent a major road being shut between Callington and Liskeard for two weeks has been won.

Callington's Mebyon Kernow Cornwall councillor Andrew Long had said closing the A390 at Newbridge, just outside Callington, to repair the bridge would be 'financial suicide for many people.'

The work is due to take place in May. Closure would have meant traffic being diverted along the A38 to Saltash.

Cllr Long had asked for an urgent meeting with council highways officers to see if there was any alternative to closing the road completely.

'Whilst I understand the need to get the bridge repaired, I was really concerned that closing the road for up to two weeks would have a devastating effect on the lives of many hundreds of people in Callington and Liskeard.

'I understood that they planned to divert traffic along the A38 to Saltash which would have left Callington being cut off from the west for a long time.'

Cllr Long said on Tuesday: 'I am pleased that there appears to be some reconsideration of the original proposal and will be seeking an urgent meeting with the highways department to find a more viable solution.'

A spokeswoman for Cornwall highways team said on Tuesday that having assessed the necessary works and traffic management requirements, the highways team had decided the repairs could be done without a full road closure. 

'Instead the traffic will be controlled by temporary traffic lights with additional lane narrowing to keep vehicle speeds low and provide an appropriate safe working zone for the operatives,' she said.

The council appears to be gearing up for a mid-May start to repair the bridge which was damaged by a vehicle last November.