Village to wait months for collapsing road update
BBCVillagers who have "lost hope" of one of their main roads reopening after it collapsed three years ago have been told they must wait months for an update.
The C31 into Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, was fenced off after part of the surface collapsed into the River Wear in January 2023, leading to a road diversions.
Resident Marc Shepherd said it was clear Durham County Council (DCC) did not consider fixing the road "a priority" and there were "massive problems" with the diversion route.
Mark Readman, DCC's head of highway services, said he appreciated the "inconvenience" and aimed to update residents in the summer after investigative work.
He said the closure was necessary for safety reasons following the landslide and the scale of the issue "made investigative work complex".
Reform county councillor Robert Potts said he wanted the C31 to be repaired but he recognised the damage caused by the moving path of the river was extensive.
"It is obvious that a decision to close the C31 will also have an impact on the recent planning application submitted by Forestry England for a Lodge Complex, Go Ape and development within the forest," he said.
"With the village already suffering what some residents have described as dangerous levels of traffic during busy periods, this will only be compounded by extra traffic and the main road into the village being permanently closed."
Resident Andy Richardson said the diversion route currently in place was "adding time, cost and ongoing disruption to daily life".
"The route itself is not fit for purpose, Linburn Beck Bridge is a clear pinch point and cannot safely accommodate HGVs passing in opposite directions - it's an accident waiting to happen," he said.
Shepherd said the diversion route used roads which were not designed for the articulated lorries and tractors to regularly use them.
"The C31 was built as a main road into the village and the diversion route has a small bridge which is not fit for that purpose," he said.
"We always thought the council was blatantly in no rush whatsoever to do anything about the problem."
