MOTORISTS are being advised that the closed A178 Tees Road in Hartlepool will temporarily re-open on Christmas Eve.

It has been closed since a recent storm which resulted in a tidal surge.

A temporary road repair to sea defences is continuing round-the-clock and the Environment Agency expects it to finish by December 24. Work on a permanent repair will start on January 6 and continue at least until the end of January.

As a result, it will be necessary to have a further closure of the road from the January 6 for at least 3 weeks. Following this closure, any works still outstanding should be able to be carried out without the need for a full road closure.

Planned works on the A689 / Brenda Road will be suspended to avoid conflict with the above works. These are now scheduled to commence early in February.