Nine months’ work to repair a collapsed section of the seafront road has cost the council £200,000.

The bill, footed by Brighton and Hove City Council to repair the seafront collapse on the A259, covers structural works and the cost of traffic management systems.

When The Argus went beneath the arches with a council engineer in September last year a price tag of “more than £40,000” was estimated.

The six foot deep crater, which left a sewer pipe exposed, was opened up by workmen at the Fortune of War Pub on April 25 last year.

As engineers worked to repair the hole, further weaknesses in the arches were discovered which required additional repairs – pushing the completion date back. It was hoped the road would be reopened by mid-June, but the work was set back to July, then to September, November, December before its eventual completion last month.

A contra flow traffic system was in place for nine months and the discovery of asbestos at the site in November also delayed completion.

Geoff Raw, Brighton and Hove City Council executive director, said: “The council reacted quickly to the unexpected collapse of the A259 in April 2014 however the repairs proved complex.

“The damaged area was a mix of private and publicly owned space. We have been working for many months with all relevant partners, including businesses and contractors, to make the road safe and operational again.

“The cost borne by the council for structural works and traffic management is estimated to be around £200k. We do appreciate the disruption during these essential repairs was inconvenient and are pleased the work has been completed.”

Last month at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting there was cross-party support for a ten year plan to renovate the seafront.

The Argus exclusively revealed the need for £100million investment in the seafront in January last year.