A57 Snake Pass: Safety concerns prompt ban for cyclists and walkers

In one location the verge has fallen away from the road by about two metres

A well-known Derbyshire road has been closed to cyclists and walkers due to renewed safety concerns.

The A57 Snake Pass was shut for at least four weeks to motor traffic on 21 February after heavy rain caused a number of landslips.

Now the county council said large numbers of cyclists had been using the road and people had been seen standing on the areas of slumping.

Barriers have been installed to allow residents-only access, officials added.

Snake Pass is known for its serpent-like winding shape

The closure is in place from Fairholmes car park, at Ladybower Reservoir, to Glossop.

A spokesman for the authority said: "There is still traffic on the road, as people live there and we have vehicles going up to monitor the landslip and carry out other work on other parts of the road.

"We are very concerned that there will be an accident involving a vehicle and a cyclist because of the large numbers of cyclists that have taken the opportunity to go out and ride the road."

Additionally, the council said it had reports the route was being used by vehicles for night-time road races.

Last week the council's cabinet member for highways, Kewal Singh Athwal, said the authority would have to wait for the ground to stop moving in order to carry out a proper assessment and determine a course of action to address the damage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In an update this week, the authority said the ground beneath the road remained unstable.