Protestors in Swaledale say winter driving has been made more dangerous, and businesses have taken a big hit because of roadworks on a major route.

The B6270 from Richmond to Reeth has been closed at Ellerton Abbey for the second time in two months, and there are fears there could be ongoing delays through to June.

North Yorkshire highways say the closure is crucial while teams replace a vital culvert underneath the road which is several hundred years old. They insist there is no good time to undertake the work.

Residents say there are questions that have to be answered and more planning should have been done to reduce the impact for local people.

Robert Frewen, from Healaugh, said: “Why has the contract taken so long? No doubt ‘unforeseen complications’ will get blamed, but I very much suspect the issues were perfectly avoidable with appropriate planning. Why was a temporary road not laid around the works to start with?

“This is not just a grumpy rant, businesses in the dale have taken a big hit with one in Reeth reporting a 50 per cent drop in turnover.

“With impeccable timing, the latest closure comes just as the snow falls. Given that all routes out of Upper Swaledale now involve climbing to over 1,000 feet on narrow winding roads, generally with no cats eyes or white lines, the highways team at North Yorkshire County Council have questions to answer.

“Why were the works scheduled for the winter months with the shortest days of the year? Older drivers generally dislike driving at night and the frequent fog and low cloud in November and December made driving downright dangerous for many.”

The latest road closure is due to last until January 29, but the county council’s website says there are due to be roadworks around that area with delays likely until June 14.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan said: “Our highways teams work extremely hard to ensure North Yorkshire’s routes are as safe as they can be, and to help ensure that motorists can continue to use the extensive network of more than 5,700 miles of roads across England’s largest county.

“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.

“The road was open over Christmas and we started the second phase of work on Monday which includes waterproofing and surfacing the new structure. We are liaising closely with the contractors to get the works completed as soon as possible within the next two weeks. We have weekend and evening working hours in place, so we are optimistic that the road will reopen ahead of schedule.”