The A6015 Hayfield Road in the High Peak is set to partially reopen – after a survey of a historic culvert was carried out.

The A6015 has been closed for two months after a huge sinkhole appeared on the road in Low Leighton on July 29.

Earlier this month United Utilities carried out repairs to their damaged infrastructure and a collapsed historic culvert was discovered around five metres below the ground.

The culvert, a legacy from former mine workings in the area, was used to carry water underground and it is believed to be at least 150 years old.

The A6015 has been closed for two months after a huge sinkhole appeared on the road in Low Leighton on July 29. (Credit: DCC)

placeholder image — The A6015 has been closed for two months after a huge sinkhole appeared on the road in Low Leighton on July 29. (Credit: DCC)

Yesterday (Wednesday, August 28) Derbyshire County Council’s contractors carried out a thorough survey of the collapsed culvert beneath Hayfield Road. They also checked several other culverts nearby.

Their findings showed that while part of the culvert had collapsed, there was no evidence of any soil or gravel spilling into the culvert from the ground above. This suggests that the ground is now stable, following the repairs to the collapsed sewer which sits above the culvert.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “Now we have this level of detail, we can plan the next steps to partially reopen Hayfield Road. We hope to be able to do this later next week, subject to weather conditions.

“We'll repair the sinkhole site and the road surface and then reopen the lane closest to the stone wall to all traffic, including HGVs and buses, under traffic light control. The repairs are complicated and may need specialist equipment which we will need to obtain from contractors.”

Yesterday (Wednesday, September 28) Derbyshire County Council’s contractors carried out a thorough survey of the collapsed culvert beneath Hayfield Road. They also checked several other culverts nearby. (Credit DCC)

The council announced that the lane damaged by the sinkhole, heading to Birch Vale, Low Leighton and Hayfield, will remain closed.

As buses will be able to use Hayfield Road, the temporary shuttle bus service will no longer be required once the road has reopened.

Monitoring of the site will be done to check if there is any movement in the ground. If no movement in the ground is detected, the council intend to look at options to fill the culvert. This work would require the closure of Hayfield Road.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council added: “A big thank you to local residents and the wider community for their patience during these complex investigations.”