Derbyshire road hit by landslip could be closed for three years

Lea Road, near Cromford, has been shut to traffic since January 2020 – with work to repair it hit by several major setbacks.

Derbyshire County Council now expects it to be open by February 2023 at the latest – although it could be sooner.

In May 2021, repairs were delayed when engineers found the landslip was still moving and had cracked a sewer pipe running underneath.

The pipe was mended and work was due to begin again in November 2021 when the road suffered a further collapse.

More work has required permission from the Environment Agency, since it includes building into a river bed.

MORE: Derbyshire road severely damaged and closed by landslips

The permission has now been gained from the Environment Agency – but they do not want work to start in the river until June to take account of the salmon breeding season.

If this condition is lifted, the road could be reopened by November 2022.

Cabinet member for highways assets and transport, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, said: “We do understand the frustration of everyone who lives locally and have not been able to use Lea Road for so long.

“We now have a design solution and a way forward and will work with the Environment Agency to see if we can start on site sooner than June.

“We are so sorry for the inconvenience this is causing and thank everyone for their patience but as we’ve seen in recent days, Derbyshire can be severely impacted by the weather and barring any further slippage, we’re on course for reopening in February 2023 at the latest.”