In what must be one...

In what must be one of the trickiest highway maintenance projects in the country, repair crews from Northumberland County Council have just started resurfacing the causeway linking the island of Lindisfarne to the mainland.

Repairs to the 2.5-mile stretch will take a staggering four months, because each working day is dictated by the area"s treacherous tides. They"ve stranded hundreds of drivers over the decades, and there"s even a hut on stilts - visible in our picture - from where motorists can watch their car disappear under the waves.

For the road crews, it means all equipment, including the temporary traffic lights, has to be put up and taken down daily. Not surprisingly, a special quick-drying cement is being used to ensure each session"s progress isn"t simply washed away.

Military-style precision will ensure that as soon as the causeway is visible, the teams will begin work. Council operations manager Richard Hayes said: "Signs will be erected on the mainland warning of delays, but we can"t have them on the causeway itself as they would be washed away.

Logistically, this project has taken a great deal of planning and will provide a challenge for our highway maintenance team."