Derbyshire: Two burst pipes in two days increase disruption

People in a Derbyshire village have spoken of their frustration after further disruption was caused when two pipes along a road burst in two days.

The road to Crich from Holloway closed after a landslip at Leashaw a year ago.

Then, on 25 and 26 October, the pipes - along the B5035 between Whatstandwell and Crich - burst, causing severe damage.

Severn Trent said the pipes had now been fixed, but added sections of Main Road and Crich Road were still shut.

Speaking to BBC East Midlands Today, Crich parish and borough councillor Kate Smith said: "We hope we can have these roads sorted as soon as possible.

"The whole parish council is hearing from everybody, that we would like to as soon as possible, but we do sympathise with Severn Trent, it's not easy."

Mike Galer, from nearby tourist attraction Crich Tramway Village - home to the National Tramway Museum - said the disruption had "undoubtedly" resulted in a drop in visitors.

"The danger is people get fed up and go somewhere else," he added.

Ashley Holland, water networks lead for Severn Trent, said: "We're sorry for the disruption caused following repairs to two separate burst pipes along the B5035 between Crich and Whatstandwell.

"Both pipes are fixed and our priority now is to make sure the extensive damage to the road surface is put back to normal, and made safe again. We completely understand just how frustrating roadworks can be, which is why our priority is to make these essential repairs to the road as soon as we can."

It comes as cafe owners in Holloway said they feared for their future following the nearby landslip.

Leon White, 34, and Freya Fleming, 35, have run the Chase Cafe for 18 months, but for most of that time, the road to their business has been shut.

They said a pub, a shop and a post office had closed during that time.

Mr White told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We have put all of our life savings into this business and we do not want to be the fourth business to close.

"People need to be able to come and see us and to know we are still open."

The LDRS said a public meeting took place on Wednesday, which heard from a county councillor, who reportedly said the landslip could "take years to fix".

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: "We understand how difficult it has been for residents and local businesses in Lea, Holloway and Dethick over the last few years as a result of two major landslips and we are continuing work to resolve these issues as far as we can.

"We're in regular contact with the parish council about the situation on Leashaw, and most recently met with representatives from the parish council on site this week.

"We also provide regular updates specifically about the landslip to members of the public who signed-up to receive our bulletins on email, as well as posting regular updates on our website."

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