Derbyshire villagers will 'close roads' to prevent 'Durdle Door-style tragedy' at disused quarry

Residents in Wirksworth say they fear an accident ‘on the scale of’ Durdle Door in Dorset – where three people were seriously injured after jumping from cliffs just days after the Covid-19 lockdown was lifted.

They claim boy racers are using the normally quiet country lanes of The Dale and Green Hill as a ‘racetrack’ in order to reach the deep lagoon at nearby Middle Peak Quarry.

Now villagers are planning a ‘symbolic closing’ of the roads – although they are remaining tight-lipped about when this might happen.

Derbyshire police and council leaders have urged trespassers to stay away from the quarry area.

A spokesperson for the residents said: “For two weeks now, this popular spot with locals and ramblers has suffered from a huge influx of young men in cars with doctored exhausts using their narrow, twisting lanes as a racetrack.

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“Groups from a radius of 50 miles or more have also been threatening and intimidating local residents.

“In addition to the lanes, a major draw is Tarmac’s huge, disused Middle Peak Quarry with its deep lagoon.”

The spokesperson said the anti-social behaviour has concerned locals for a number of years, but ‘representations to the police, Tarmac and Derbyshire County Council’s Highways Department have failed to achieve any resolution’.

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He added: “Since the recent easing of the national lockdown, what were previously crowds of a few dozen have swelled to many hundreds now breaching the quarry’s flimsy wire fencing and running riot among the cliffs and boulders.

“Local people reckon that it is only a matter of time before there is an accident on the scale of, or far greater than, recent events at Durdle Door in Dorset.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’ve looked at previous requests to close off Greenhill and The Dale, but feel this would inconvenience residents who need the space to turn round their cars.

“We’re aware of the anti-social behaviour problems at the quarry and have been talking to the landowner to ask them to take more measures to secure the land.”

Inspector John Troup, who is in charge of policing in the Derbyshire Dales, said regular patrols were being carried out in the area.

“Where people are involved in anti-social behaviour including vehicle nuisance then officers will take action where appropriate and police powers allow,” he said.

“We are continuing to work alongside Tarmac group who own the site, and Derbyshire County Council to help deter people and reduce the impact on local residents.”

“We would reiterate the messages from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and our local authorities about Middle Peak Quarry, and all disused quarries.

“The land is privately owned and if you access it then you are trespassing. The water and site is especially dangerous and by going there you are putting yourself at risk of getting seriously injured.”