We received the following email today. We have forwarded it to the County Council, but if you have any other thoughts or comments you want passing on either add a comment below or email parwich@hotmail.co.uk or contact Highways directly:
As I was driving to work this morning, it occurred to me that, now the main road to Ashbourne is closed, we could have some real problems this winter, as I don’t believe the back roads are gritted in the winter?
If the road is not gritted over the winter, you can guarantee that there are going to be quite a few accidents. Is there anything as a community we can do to insist, for safety reasons, that the local lanes are gritted?
The Derbyshire County Council website shows Dam Lane through Alsop en le Dale as a route that will be gritted as is the lane through Netherton (Nether Bradbourne), though the Dale and Pikehall routes are not included in the gritting schedule. Click here to check which routes are to be gritted.
We have asked Highways to confirm which local roads are to be gritted. What are your thoughts on which lanes need gritting during the B5056 closure?
PARWICH.ORG 
The following reply was sent to our query about gritting:
Dear PARWICH.ORG,
Dam Lane and the roads through Bradbourne (to Brassington and Knockerdown ) are already included within our Precautionary Salting Network. People travelling north from Parwich should not be affected by the closure of the B5056 so there should be no need to extend the routes in this direction, although I have taken note of your comments about the use of Highway Lane and the Dale road to Bigginmoor for when we next review our network.
The problem is for residents of Parwich who wish to go south to Ashbourne, who would presumably have used the B5056. I assume they now travel via Dam Lane and the A515 or across to the B5035 at Knockerdown ( as there are no alternative roads ) and these are already salted.
Dick Hardy
Area Maintenance Manager
Environmental Services
Derbyshire County Council
A few people have pointed out to us the notice in last week’s Stunner (p.36) that the County Council have issued an order to enable them to keep the B5056 closed up to 26th March 2011.
We don’t know if this reflects a change in their plans or if it is simply precautionary in case repairs don’t go according to plan. We will post further information as soon as we know more. Please continue to add you comments or email them to parwich@hotmail.co.uk.
Interesting comment from the county council as when we had the snow in Jan of this year Dam Lane and the main road in the village was definately not gritted. So I suppose we will have to see what happens when we next get snow.
We have received this second email from Highways in the light of a comment on pot holes on Dam Lane through Alsop we passed on to them:
Dear PARWICH.ORG,
I have also received separate complaints about the potholes, so have asked that the local Inspector look at this and the roads through Bradbourne to identify any necessary potholing / patching works in view of the extra traffic usage.
Dick Hardy
Derbyshire County Council
I was pleased to read in your website that those of us at Woodeaves have vocal allies in Parwich who share the same inconvenience and expence as a result of the closure of the B5056. I like to think that ‘those in authority’ will listen to all of us who have written, phoned & emailed. They won’t be able to wave a magic wand to put it right but they can can and should do their best to shorten the period of closure. Additionally, they need to keep us safe in the winter with gritting on the lanes and prompt repairs to roads, including Tissington ford.
I suggest we keep writing and prodding to get the best result.
By the way, have a look at the British Geological Survey website for good photos and technical overview.