Firestone Copse Road has been closed to traffic for the duration of the works by Southern Water on Elenors Grove, Binstead.
Since works began on Elenors Road (2nd February – running until 10th April), a road closure for eastbound traffic from the junction of Fishbourne Lane has been in place, with a considerable diversion for HGV traffic from Fishbourne via Lake.
Local diversion
Firestone Copse Road has been used by locals as a diversion route for those who need to travel from East Cowes/Wootton Bridge to Binstead or Ryde.
However, today (Tuesday) Island Roads have issued a hard closure notice for Firestone Copse Road to run until 10th April 2026.
“For safety reasons, a hard closure has been put in place”
A spokesperson for Island Roads told OnTheWight,
“Southern Water have had to close Firestone Copse Road until the Elenors Grove works are complete. This is due to the sheer volume of traffic using the road as an unofficial diversion, including high‑sided vehicles, which the route is not suitable for.
“There have also been several near miss incidents involving cyclists, largely caused by drivers not giving way or using the route safely.
“Unfortunately, despite the Not fit for diversion signage, the public have continued to use the road, and the situation has only worsened with increased traffic levels.
“For safety reasons, a hard closure has therefore been put in place.”
Roads “not suitable for the volume of traffic they were receiving“
They went on to say,
“Our priority is to maintain a safe road network. Official diversions are put in place to provide an alternative route for all vehicles during road schemes.
“While it is expected that drivers may use local knowledge to find shorter routes, issues arise when increased traffic uses roads that are too narrow or have limited visibility. In such cases, these routes can quickly become unsafe or congested.
“This has occurred on The Mall at Brading with the New Road works, Firestone Copse Road during the Elenors Grove diversion, and on Betty Haunt Lane during the Horsebridge Hill closure. These roads have been closed because they are not suitable for the volume of traffic they were receiving.
“We will of course keep the situation under review and thank road users for their understanding during this busy time on the network.”
