RESIDENTS in Calstock are set to get back to normality next month as the road at Lower Kelly is due to be re-opened by the end of May. The single-track road has been undergoing repair since it collapsed in the storms on Christmas Day, cutting off vehicular access to numerous homes along Lower Kelly and beyond. At a recent meeting of Calstock Parish Council, councillors were told in a report from Dorothy Kirk, the county councillor for Calstock, that work is ongoing and the road is due to be open by the end of May. The highways department for Cornwall Council has confirmed that the programme date for re-opening the road is May 28, but a spokesperson said if things 'go well' it might be sooner than this. The road collapse, which began on Christmas Day and collapsed further on Boxing Day, was said at the time to have been caused by water pressure building up behind the retaining wall. Esther Richmond, from Cornwall Council's localism team, said work is on schedule: 'We are still on schedule for finishing at the end of May — hopefully it might be a bit earlier. We haven't encountered too many problems and we have been in communication with the residents throughout the whole process. We are still delivering heating oil where required.' Work so far has involved extracting the rubble from the landslip and sealing off some of the pipes, to ensure no sewerage or discharge occurred during the work, and 'piling' — inserting long poles into the wall; these have been used to act as a support to stop the rest of the sub soil from falling in. It will then be pinned and back-filled to rebuild the 'substantial' retaining wall. Lower Kelly resident Ian Craft said not having road access to his house has not been a major problem but more of a nuisance. He said: 'It has been an irritation but people have pulled together to help each other out. 'I've been parking my car in the car park, which is about a five-minute walk from my house. It's fine in good weather but when it is bucketing down it has been a pain.' He also said that he had not been very well and had to be stretchered from his house along the narrow, bumpy access, with paramedics just managing to get through. 'Cornwall Council made the mistake initially of not addressing the problem beforehand, but since the incident, they have been excellent,' he said. Nigel Rushbrook, also a resident, said: 'It will be brilliant when the road is re-opened. I'm just on the edge so it hasn't been too bad for me but I know other people down the road have found it difficult, having to wheel their shopping and things far down the road. 'The people who have been working on the repairs have been helping one day a week to take shopping and oil down to people. When the road is back in use, it will be great.' The road has only one access in and out and many residents' cars were stuck at Lower Kelly, unable to get out onto the national road network, until Royal Marines were called in to evacuate cars by landing craft along the river to nearby Cotehele.