Snake Pass closed: Peak District route will be shut for weeks following three landslides brought on by storms

The route leading from Sheffield to Manchester was closed on Monday following damage caused by torrential rain as Storm Eunice and then Storm Franklin battered the county.

And now Derbyshire County Council has confirmed it will be closed for at least a month after inspectors found movement in three locations along a mile-long section of the road and a decision was made to close the road from Fairholmes car park at Ladybower Reservoir to Glossop to protect road users.

Two of the areas of slippage were already being monitored carefully following previous movement but a third, more serious slip, has now appeared along the road where the verge has dropped by two metres.

The council said teams will continually monitor the situation but as the ground is still moving they are unable to come up with any final designs to repair the road until it has stabilised, which will be dependent on many factors including the weather.

At this stage, a one-month closure is in place however it is too early to say when the road will be able to re-open following any necessary repairs due to the unstable nature of the ground.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, said: “I know this will be a huge inconvenience to everyone who uses the A57 regularly.

“However, with the ground underneath the road surface expected to continue to move, in the interests of everyone’s safety we simply cannot allow traffic to use the road.

“This is an evolving situation but please be assured we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

“Once the land movement has stopped we will assess what needs doing to repair the sections of road. However, once in a position to do this it will be a complicated piece of work.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their patience as we deal with the aftermath of this unprecedented weather which has affected not only Derbyshire but much of the country.”

It is not known how long it will take the ground to stabilise before thorough assessments can be carried out.

Local access will be maintained for residents. Drivers are asked to follow the diversion route through Hathersage, Hope, Dove Holes, Whaley Bridge, New Mills, Hayfield and Glossop and vice versa.

High Peak MP Robert Largan had posted on Facebook earlier today about the road’s closure.

The Conservative MP wrote in a Facebook post today (February 23): “As you may have seen, the Snake Pass (A57) has been closed for several days due to the storms over the weekend.

"Having spoken to the highways authority, it is now clear that this closure will be for quite some time.

"I understand that there have been three active landslips, with one section of road having seen two metres of movement.

"The closure is now expected to last at least four weeks."

The closure is now in place along the entire 16-mile stretch between Sheffield Road in Glossop and Hollow Meadows.

Snake Pass is closed for an average of 70 days a year due to bad weather and dangerous conditions, according to Transport for the North.

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-parks-new-cafe-surrounded-by-flooding-before-it-even-opens-3581264