Motorists warned as busy Ribble Valley route to be closed for six weeks

Marshaw Wyre Road will be closed at Tower Lodge, with diversions in place beginning at Abbeystead to the west and Dunsop Bridge to the east. Access to properties will be kept open at all times.

The closure will be in place for all vehicles from Monday, August 16th to Sunday, September 26th, though a safe route through the closure will be available at all times for pedestrians and cyclists.

The closure is needed for Lancashire County Council to carry out repairs to a retaining wall which supports land next to the road. The wall has collapsed, with the repairs being needed to avoid the risk of the road being affected. As the road is very narrow it has to be closed to allow the work to be carried out safely.

A diversion suitable for all vehicles including HGVs will be signed from Dunsop Bridge via Whitewell, Inglewhite and Oakenclough to Marshaw, though local traffic may be able to find shorter routes.

Letters are being delivered to properties within five miles of the work, including the villages of Dunsop Bridge, Newton, Slaidburn and Abbeystead. Advanced warning signs are due to be put up on the route shortly to raise awareness of the upcoming closure.

Harald Nielsen, principal bridge engineer, said: "We're really sorry for the inconvenience this work will cause, however the geography of the Trough of Bowland means that any road closure will always result in a long diversion.

"It's essential that we carry out the repairs to the retaining wall in the coming weeks as we can't afford the risk of the road becoming affected, which would result in even more disruption.

"If we could keep the road open we would, however as it's so narrow we must close it to carry out this work safely, and I'd ask people to bear with us while we try to get the repairs completed as quickly as we can."