Rufford accident blackspot river ford is shut to traffic

A ford, which has seen some of the highest flood rescues in England, has been closed for the foreseeable future.

The crossing at Rufford, Nottinghamshire, attracts visitors who watch cars splash through the water.

But the county council said an increase in incidents had led them to shut it completely for the safety of motorists and pedestrians.

The closure will remain in place while a "longer-term solution is developed", officials said.

The ford is the location of some of the highest number of flood rescues in England and a YouTube channel of cars and vans crossing it - and often becoming stranded - has had millions of views.

The ford is often easily crossed but rain can make the levels rise quickly

Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "We know that Rufford Ford has become popular with locals and those from further afield, but we cannot stress enough that dangerous driving in this area cannot continue because it puts the safety of motorists and pedestrians at risk.

"There is already a significant amount of road safety signage around the ford which has been in place for some time to keep all road users safe.

"However due to the increase in incidents at Rufford Ford, we feel that the safest solution is to put a temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in place while longer-term solutions can be developed further."

The council said it had been working closely with highways manager Via East Midlands and Nottinghamshire Police to look at measures to improve safety in the area and the closure would remain in place while a longer-term solution was developed.

Insp Matthew Ward, from Nottinghamshire Police, said he regretted the move but blamed "increasingly dangerous and irresponsible driving".