Council seek to solve 'pathetic' two-year closure

The road has been partially closed since a wall collapsed when Storm Babet hit Derby in 2023

A council is working to find a resolution over a road in Derby that has been shut for two years after a wall collapsed.

Uttoxeter Road, in Mickleover, has been partially closed since the collapse during Storm Babet in October 2023, causing significant flooding.

Earlier this year, a Freedom of Information request revealed it had cost Derby City Council more than £10,000 to lease temporary traffic lights, which were installed near the wall.

The authority said the wall was owned by a third party, meaning its "powers to intervene are restricted".

Residents, who have long been calling for the situation to be resolved, have described the situation as an "absolute joke" and "pathetic".

Mickleover councillors - Matthew Holmes, Alison Holmes and Miles Pattison - issued an update on the situation, saying the wall was "privately owned" and there is a "significant financial cost involved" in repairing it.

"As many residents will be aware, we are now approaching two years since the wall collapsed on Uttoxeter Road," the councillors said in a post on Facebook.

Legal process

"Throughout this time we have always tried to give factual updates of note when we have received them, however we've found this issue to be one step forward, two steps back, which is why news has been scarce recently.

"As we have said in the past, the situation regarding the wall is extremely complex and there has been a huge amount of work going on in the background to try and find a resolution.

"We know that this remains a frustrating issue for residents.

"As councillors we have had meetings with and continue to speak with all parties involved - however any final decisions sit well outside of our remit."

Derby City Council said it had entered a legal process with the owner and it would "continue to work with them to find a resolution as soon as possible".

"Uttoxeter Road is owned by a third party and not the council, meaning that our powers to intervene are restricted by private property rights," a spokesperson said.

"We have entered the legal process with the owner and continue to work with them to find a resolution as soon as possible."

The authority added: "We understand that the long-term use of temporary signals has been frustrating to some road users, however these signals have been kept in place to keep everyone safe from any further movement in the wall.

"We will continue to try and make arrangements for the wall to be made safe and for the signals removed."