Long-awaited repair work to a busy road that links Ely with the surrounding fen villages is finally set to get under way from June 6.

Cambridgeshire County Council has announced it plans to repair and resurface a stretch of Ely Road, near Prickwillow, which has sunk and subsided badly.

The stretch of road runs outside the Purple Recycling depot and has become a bugbear for road users in recent months, with reports of cars unaware of the poor state of the road being damaged.

Announcing a temporary prohibition of traffic order, the county council said: “The proposed order if necessary to facilitate resurfacing works which are being carried out on or near this highway and it will come into operation on June 6 and continue until these works are finished.”

Diversions that will take road users via Branch Bank, New River Bank, A1101, B1382 and Main Street will be in operation while the work takes place.

Wendy Wilson, secretary of Prickwillow Village Council, said the work was “long overdue” but welcome news for the village.

She added: “Some villagers got in touch with us about the road at the end of last year and we have been pushing for something to be done since then. It will be long overdue for the village but good news if it goes ahead.”