Derbyshire road closed after landslip not expected to reopen until next year

Lea Road, which runs from Cromford to Lea in the Derbyshire Dales, had to be closed in January last year after the edge of the route started to fall away down the steep banking below.

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Specialist contractors were appointed to carry out work to stabilise the landslip, shore up the bank and resurface the road.

Work started on-site on February 18 this year and the road had been due to be reopened by now.

But Derbyshire County Council has this week said the route may not open again until spring or summer in 2022.

A county council spokesperson said: “Following on from unusually heavy rain over a weekend in early May, the contractors found that the landslip was still moving and that a sewer running under the road was leaking. Repairs were made to the sewer and drainage was installed.

“Just as work was starting on the piling, engineering challenges made it impossible to progress. Piles are large concrete poles drilled deep into the ground which will then hold up the road surface.

“In essence the land is still moving, which is making this a very difficult technical operation. At the moment the contractors are closely monitoring the site before work starts again. They estimate that the earliest the road could reopen would be spring or summer 2022.

“We’d like to apologise to all those who are inconvenienced by this road closure. We had hoped that the road would be open by now.”

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