Council bosses have been left red-faced after a freak downpour washed away a freshly laid road surface.
Thornley Lane, between Winlaton and Lockhaugh, in Gateshead , was being resurfaced on Tuesday when a sudden downpour destroyed the highway treatment.
Now, Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Jonathon Wallace has demanded to know why Met Office warnings were ignored.
He said: “Bitumen had been laid on the road, and it didn’t have a chance to dry before a heavy downpour destroyed it.
“My recollection is that there were severe weather warnings on that day about heavy rain.
“Clearly this is going to cost a significant sum to put right but the question has to be asked, why was the work taking place at a time when the weather forecasts were warning of extreme weather? I think there is lessons to be learned from this.”
Gateshead Council didn’t carry out the work and had contracted the job to Northumberland County Council.
A spokesman for the authority said it was the first time in a decade that rain had destroyed a road surface, and that it had since been repaired.
He said: "We were carrying out surfacing work in Thornley Lane on Tuesday and around 30 minutes after the surface went down there was a torrential ran storm which washed the treatment away.
“This is a very rare occurrence – we’re not aware of this happening for well over a decade.
“As soon as the surfacing team was made aware of the issue the road was closed and cleaned and a new surface successfully laid the following day.”
