Retired police driver ‘appalled’ as wait for council to repair no entry sign in Derbyshire town reaches a year

A retired police driver who reported a faulty road sign in a Derbyshire town said he was astonished to find it was still broken 12 months on.
By Tom Hardwick
Published 28th May 2022, 09:48 BST
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David France is a former police driver and motoring journalist – he lives in Chesterfield, but often travels through Dronfield.

He said that 12 months ago, he accidentally drove up Soaper Lane – off Sheffield Road – which is a one-way street.

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David realised that, as you approach Soaper Lane from Dronfield Station, one of the no-entry signs is in need of repair – so he got in touch with Derbyshire County Council to make them aware of the issue.

David France showing the damaged sign at the bottom of Soaper Lane, Dronfield.David France showing the damaged sign at the bottom of Soaper Lane, Dronfield.
David France showing the damaged sign at the bottom of Soaper Lane, Dronfield.

He said: “I told Derbyshire County Council about the problem with this sign a year ago, and I explained just how dangerous it was.

“The person I spoke to said they didn’t think it was dangerous – if an experienced driver like me can make the mistake, then so will others, and sooner or later it will lead to an accident.

“Each time I’ve gone past and noticed it hasn’t been done, I’ve sent an email to remind them.”

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After a year, the sign is still yet to be repaired. David said that he was shocked at how long it had taken for the council to act – and called for changes at the junction to reduce the chance of any accidents.

This Google street view image from May 2021 shows the damaged sign on the left. David said the sign on the right cannot be seen by those approaching from Dronfield Station.This Google street view image from May 2021 shows the damaged sign on the left. David said the sign on the right cannot be seen by those approaching from Dronfield Station.
This Google street view image from May 2021 shows the damaged sign on the left. David said the sign on the right cannot be seen by those approaching from Dronfield Station.

“The sign has been left with yellow tape around it. There needs to be no turn signs at the junction, or traffic lights.

“It’s appalling that after over a year, a quite important mandatory traffic sign has not been replaced.

“Is this really the best that Derbyshire County Council can do in terms of traffic management?”

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A spokesman for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’d like to apologise for the length of time it is taking our contractors to replace this illuminated sign and for the confusion that it has caused to drivers.

We hope to have the new ‘no entry’ sign in place shortly and we will continue to work with the electrical energy supplier to get it connected as soon as possible, but unfortunately, we are governed by their own works programmes and ability to visit our site to fix the issue for us.”

READ THIS: Police chief reveals Derbyshire burglaries have dropped almost 30% – with vehicle thefts also down

Related topics:DerbyshireDerbyshire County CouncilChesterfield