Victoria Way will remain closed until at least the end of this month.

An update from Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, the leader of Woking Borough Council, confirmed the “frustrating news” regarding the A320.

“SRM [Sir Robert McAlpine] are making steady progress, but I regret to inform you that it is likely that the closure of Victoria Way will remain in place until late April.

“SRM now need to work on the deep (protruding) panels on the hotel and this requires specialist equipment. This equipment was due to have arrived from Germany last week but has been delayed.

“This has severely impacted the schedule. As a result, SRM can currently only work on one deep panel at a time, until the additional specialist tools arrive in early April.

“In the meantime, I continue to push SRM to work at pace to install the remaining temporary fixings to shallow panels that are required for the road to reopen.

“I understand how frustrating this news is for everyone, but the exclusion zone is in place to protect your safety and will be lifted as soon as the works are complete.

“I will continue to do all I can to push SRM to accelerate the works and keep you informed.”

Residents have faced widespread disruption with traffic diversion routes through the town having to be put in place. Businesses in the town have also been impacted by the closure of Victoria Way.

This new delay in reopening the vital thoroughfare is just the latest chapter in the ongoing problems with the exterior cladding on the Hilton hotel, which stretch back to 2021 when stormy weather dislodged panels on the hotel.

Problems once again emerged during winter storms this year, most recently closing the road in January.