THE reopening of a stretch of the A7 in a Borders town after months of disruption has been hailed as “extremely positive news”.

The milestone marks the completion of the major works on Commercial Road, Hawick, and signals the end of full road closures at the site.

The project included a replacement section of the road and a flood defence wall which is part of the town’s multi-million pound flood protection scheme.

The council’s executive member for environment & transport, Jenny Linehan, said the reopening marked “a significant step towards fully protecting the town of Hawick against the threat of flooding”.

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“This extremely positive news will be welcomed by residents of the town and will be viewed as a sign of real progress across the whole project,” she said. “Their patience and understanding amidst various road closures and diversions throughout the construction period must be thanked.”

Further minor works are required in 2023 and will be carried out under traffic light control.

This will include surfacing works at the Sainsbury’s car park entrance towards the west end of Commercial Road in late January.

Scottish Borders Council said the flood scheme remained on budget and would be completed by the end of 2023.