Derbyshire County Council has announced that the A57 Snake Pass is now closed to all users, including cyclists and walkers, apart from those who live there or their visitors.

The authority issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon (8 March), saying the move is due to concerns about the safety of cyclists and walkers. 

Road users have been ignoring closures on the route, despite the normally busy road being affected by landslips and a nearby moorland fire.

The A57 Snake Pass - a major route between Manchester and Sheffield - was shut for at least four weeks to motor traffic on 21 February after heavy rain caused a number of landslips.

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

Barriers have been installed to allow residents-only access. 

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

An image, supplied anonymously to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, showing some of the damage to the road 

A spokesperson for DCC said: "We have experienced large groups of cyclists visiting the road, and standing on the part that has slipped. Our monitoring shows that the landslip is still moving.

"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. We are also aware of road races involving vehicles taking place at night.

"The road now has barriers with someone monitoring it 24/7 at each end. Please only visit if you live there or are visiting someone who does.

"We do realise that many cyclists have enjoyed the opportunity to cycle this iconic route while it is closed due to the landslip - it is for their safety that this cannot continue. Our apologies, but safety is our first priority." 

Last week, 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 of the road and determine a course of action to address the damage.

Latest photos taken show the road remains in a perilous state and suggest it could be closed for some time. 

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