New Mills sinkhole Q&A

Derbyshire County Council have created a Q&A regarding the sinkhole on Hayfield in New Mills. Below is a list of commonly asked questions:

1. Why isn’t there a timeline?

At this stage, until the investigations have been completed, we’re unable to give a timeline because we’re unable to see the amount of damage caused by the collapse below ground. Once we have this info, we’ll then know what we’re dealing with and aim to get this fixed as quickly – and safely – as we can.

2. Why isn’t there more signage?

We’ve asked our contractor to put in additional signs, which will be done this weekend, to remind drivers that the road is closed, no HGV access and to ignore Sat Nav routes.

3. Why aren’t Sycamore Road and High Hill working as diversions?

These roads are access only for people who live or work there.

4. Why is the official diversion so lengthy?

The official diversion route has to be able to be used by large HGVs, buses etc. This means that the main roads must be used, making the route a little bit longer.

5. Can we have traffic lights?

At the moment we do not have enough detail about the length of the collapse under the road. If we reopen even one lane, the road could collapse causing injuries. We have to put safety first.

6. Is there compensation for business loss?

The general rule is that there is no compensation if a business is affected by road works.

Successive governments have taken the view that businesses should not have the right in law to any particular given level of passing trade, and that traders must take the risk of loss due to temporary disruption of traffic flows along with all the other various risks of running a business.

There is no statutory provision for compensation by the highway authority if a business is affected by road works.

However, United Utilities has a process for claiming loss of profit, and a facts sheet is available for businesses affected. https://www.unitedutilities.com/.../how-to-make-a-claim...

7. Will the road be open for the new school year?

Until our investigations are complete, we’re unable to confirm this. However, the existing 60 and 61 services will continue to provide a service for school pupils.

8. What makes the site so complex?

The site is both hazardous and extremely difficult to access and is buried deep underground. These issues, coupled with the lack of any records showing the location of the former mining and quarrying culverts, makes the job extremely difficult for our team.