Rural areas are being neglected and discriminated against, a mother has claimed, after one of the main roads through the Dales was due to be closed for more than six weeks.

Anne Barden, who lives in Reeth, said the roadworks would have been carried out much more quickly if they had been in an uurban area.

“There would be a riot. Why has it taken so long to repair this road?” she said.

Mrs Barden says her son's car was written off after one of the alternative minor routes turned into a skidpan.

The B6270 road has been closed between Richmond and Reeth for vital roadworks since November 7 and was not due to reopen until December 22. However the council said it reopened on December 13 but will close again after Christmas for waterproofing. They say all roads, urban or rural, are given due priority.

Mrs Barden said Reeth is a thriving countryside area with many businesses, livelihoods and families as well as being on the Coast to Coast path and the gateway to Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.

She added: “All of these entities are reliant on the B6270: the road that runs from Richmond to Reeth. And this road has been closed for a month for repairs, forcing traffic onto Grinton Moor or via the unofficial diversion of the Marrick/Marske road, a minor road which has become a skid pan.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

“The B6270 would not be out of action for so long if we were in a suburban area. There would be a riot. Why has it taken so long to repair this road? I don’t know, but I do know that my son has had the expense of replacing his written off car as a result of that skid pan road.”

Ms Barden said her son, an apprentice for the Dales National Park, skidded in deep mud on the road, crashing into a dry stone wall, and has now had to spend £3,000 of his hard earned savings on another car.

“He was driving well under the limit at a bend in the road, the deep mud on that minor road caused him to skid into a stone wall. The mud should not have been there. The road should have been kept clean by the council as it is now the arterial road.

“I will tell you why this happens, discrimination of rural areas. The rural communities are important too, we produce things, provide playtime to city people and keep the countryside alive. Let's have that road open soon please.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan said: “Our highways teams work extremely hard to ensure North Yorkshire’s 5,700 miles of road are as safe as they can be for motorists. All areas, be they rural or urban, are given due priority and attention.

“The closure on the B6270 is in place while our teams replace a culvert underneath the road. This is vital work, as the culvert was several hundred years old. Unfortunately, there is no good time to undertake work like this and we are doing all we can to mitigate any disruption.

“We are liaising closely with the contractors to get the works completed as soon as possible, but we have had some delays.

“Dates are not yet confirmed for the second closure, however, it won’t be over the Christmas period.”