Derbyshire road resurfacing work causes damage to cars and prevents schoolchildren playing outside

Stone chips were also thrown from the surface dressings carried out on the A6 Buxton Road, in Furness Vale, on Sunday, as part of Derbyshire County Council’s £40m highways capital programme, causing damage to some residents’ vehicles.

Ruth Parry, head teacher of Furness Vale Primary School, said on Monday, May 23: “I came into school this morning and the A6 is an incredibly busy road and the dust clouds were incredible.”

The conditions were so bad, she decided to keep the children indoors all day for their own well-being.

“You taste the dust in the air,” Mrs Parry said.

“You can really feel it in your eyes.”

Stacey Titterton, who lives on Buxton Road, commented: “This morning when I went out the doors and the front of my garden, the flowers, everything, was just covered in dust.”

Mrs Titterton’s house, like many of her neigbours’, has no off-road parking, so residents have struggled to find other places to park their vehicles to protect them from the stone chips and dust.

Furthermore she said she received no letter from the council advising her that the work was going to take place, the only warning being when signs were put up the day before.

Councillor Ruth George, who represents Whaley Bridge at Derbyshire County Council, has been contacted by many residents who claim to have received no formal warning prior to the work starting.

She has since requested an Environmental Health assessment be carried out.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We purposely lay more chippings than required to ensure the whole surface is covered and so we don’t end up with bare patches.

“We leave the loose chips for a short period to be embedded by the action of traffic, after which any surplus chips are swept clear.

“Two sweepers are on site today to collect any excess chippings together with a water sprayer to dampen down any excess dust.”

However Mrs Titterton said the damping down could have been done sooner to prevent the situation from getting so bad.

She added that while the stones had been swept to the side, they had not been removed, so still posed the threat of being knocked into cars and passers-by.

The council has put an advisory 20mph speed limit in place for the meantime, however Coun George said a lot of vehicles were not sticking to it because the stretch is so long.

“They just end up speeding up,” she commented.

The council spokesperson continued: “Surface dressing is a cost effective treatment that is carried out nationally by most councils and minimises further deterioration of the road surface.

“It seals the surface and provides good texture to enhance skid resistance.

“We know that it can cause dust for a short time, and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

”If any resident is concerned about the works or any damage that might have been caused from the works, they should contact our contractor directly at [email protected].”