A614 closed for urgent repairs after crack opens up in road
MINING at Notts' last remaining colliery is thought to have caused a 15-metre crack to appear on one of the county's main trunk roads.
A section of the A614 Blyth Road, near Ollerton, is closed until the end of next week while repairs are carried out.
A member of the public spotted the 15-metre long crack in the road, near the Whitewater Lane junction, and it was closed for urgent repairs on Monday.
The cause has been attributed to mining at Thoresby Colliery, near Edwinstowe.
BOOK a table for tomorrows STEAK NIGHT and get a free drink*
Spaghetti Amore At The Old Volunteer
View details
Tuesday night is steak night at Spaghetti Amore Caythorpe
Book for tomorrow nights Steak night and get either a free pint or glass of house wine
Terms:
*terms and conditions apply
selected drinks
quote thisisnottingham when calling or present voucher for offer
Contact: 0115 896 2165
Valid until: Tuesday, May 21 2013
UK Coal, which owns the mine, said it was confident the repairs would be finished before the Easter weekend.
A UK Coal spokesman said: "At Thoresby we are mining about 750 metres below the surface, and as we extract the coal you do get a certain amount of lowering of the surface.
"Normally it doesn't cause problems, but there are occasions where you can get localised tearing. It's only a narrow crack – you could fit a key in it.
"We are working with Notts County Council to make good the damage.
"The reason we have picked now is so we can have the repairs completed before the holiday period, which was felt would cause minimum disruption for people in the area."
Notts County Council has closed complete section of the A614 Blyth Road, between Whitewater Lane, Ollerton, and Apleyhead, Ranby.
A diversion has been set up, taking traffic along the A57, A616 and B6034.
A Notts County Council spokesman said: "The crack was noticed in an adjacent field by a member of the public from Perlethorpe, who worried that it might have an impact on the road.
"They reported it to the council's Highways department who, on inspection, found a 15-metre fissure in the road with evidence of subsidence. UK Coal were contacted, they inspected the crack and said it would take up to two weeks to remedy.
"It's hoped that the road will be reopened in time for Easter."
He added: "The county council acted quickly to close the road for safety reasons and put a diversion in place."
Staff at the Clumber Park Hotel, on the A614, said it was business as usual, despite the road closure.
The hotel said as it had known about the repair works in advance and it was able to notify guests and supply them with maps of the diverted route to the hotel and spa.
Access to beauty spots such as nearby Clumber Park has also been affected.
Comments