Part of a new �26m bypass in Bedfordshire is sinking due to heavy rainfall.

Two 15ft-long sections either side of a bridge on the new unfinished A6 Clapham bypass have subsided across both carriageways.

Christine Bryant, a spokeswoman for the Highways Agency, said the damage had been caused by "extreme weather conditions over the past couple of weeks".

Ms Bryant said the section had "suffered subsidence" because the road was incomplete and water entered the "fill material beneath the road".

Contractor praised

She said she expected the road to open as planned on 12 December.

"This weather is not always foreseen. There were very exceptional, heavy weather conditions," she said.

Tom Foster, Bedfordshire County councillor for Clapham, said: "It is an embarrassment which is a shame because the contractor has been very good.

"But it is better it happens now than after completion."