Residents’ joy as road reopens

Residents of Holloway and Whatstandwell had to take a four-mile detour each way when Bracken Lane, which connects the two villages, was closed for more than 15 weeks while Derbyshire County Council carried out necessary rebuilding work.

To mark the reopening of the road, residents who had been significantly affected by the closure decided to lay on a light-hearted official cutting-of-the-tape ceremony together with a champagne reception.

Resident John Slaney said the reopening of the lane was a nice Christmas present.

He added: “The travelling public have had to cope with detours of around four miles each way and some local businesses have been hard-hit due to the severance of Holloway village from the area to the south of the closure.”

One resident, Peter Barnet, who travels to Belper regularly, said his petrol bill had more than doubled during the three months of the closure.

The county council had to rebuild a large retaining wall halfway between the two villages which was on the verge of collapsing.

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