Three-month roadworks begin to repair wall

A three-month road closure in Derbyshire has begun on Monday for urgent repairs.

The B6049 Stretfield Road at Brough is shut to all traffic to allow a retaining wall damaged in a storm in November to be repaired.

Only limited pedestrian and cycle access will be permitted through the 12-week roadworks, say Derbyshire County Council, which has set up a signed diversion through the Peak District along the A6187, A625, A623 and B6049.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “We apologise for any delays or inconvenience for local people.”

In November, heavy rain led to a 7m (22ft) section of a retaining wall holding the road up above the Bradwell Brook collapsing.

While the wall was shored up in December, a major rebuild of 23m (75ft) of the wall to prevent future collapses had to wait until the water levels in the brook were low and fish were no longer spawning.

Concrete will be used to reinforce the existing wall, which will be covered with the original stone recovered from the brook, to maintain the wall's appearance.

A spokesperson said: “The repairs are a time-consuming and complex job, working with the weather and the potential dangers of a damaged stone wall.

“Each stone must be removed by hand, cleaned and stored. Ecological requirements mean the work must be undertaken sensitively to avoid damaging the river bed.

“All work must be done with one eye on the weather, in case of rain and flooding, and potential dangers for our workforce.

“A contingency period has been built in to allow for unseasonable weather conditions, but we will be working as quickly as we can to reopen the road.”

While the repairs are carried out, a number of buses including school services will be affected.

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