Derbyshire County Council’s highways chief has said that work is expected to begin in the spring to introduce signs relating to residents’ calls for speed limit reductions and safety measures along a notorious stretch of road which has witnessed a number of alarming collisions.
Residents and Bolsover District Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Donna Hales, have raised concerns with the county council’s highways authority about accidents on the B6417 Mansfield Road, off Ramper Avenue, in Clowne, between Clowne and Bolsover, before the county council announced in November 2024 that it was looking to lower the speed limit to 40mph through the Oxcroft area.
Derbyshire County Cllr Charlotte Hill, Cabinet Member for Potholes, Highways and Transport, confirmed that efforts have been made to process the plans and new signs for the relevant stretch of road are expected to go up in April or May after District Cllr Hales contacted her on 13 February.
Cllr Hales told Cllr Hill: “A speed restriction along this road has been agreed for at least 18 months, but there has been a delay in placing the signage.
“I understand that there have been issues with procurement… but again there is a serious potential for death or life-affecting injuries. Members of the community have been lobbying for changes for at least two years.”
Cllr Hales explained that the speed limit on this stretch of road is currently 60mph and, following a series of accidents, including ‘life-changing incidents’ and ‘fatalities’, campaigners have continued with a long-running appeal urging the county council’s highways team to address the problems with a reduced speed limit and traffic-calming measures.
She highlighted a shocking collision a year ago, on 15 February 2025, between a Volkswagen Polo and a Skoda Octavia on the 60mph Mansfield Road, which resulted in four men and a woman being taken to hospital.
The district councillor, who oversees Bolsover North and Shuttlewood, also said the area around Mansfield Road has been the scene of multiple accidents and a fatality over the past three years and, during the collision on 15 February 2025, she understands four residents pulled individuals from both cars despite a fire and looked after them until emergency services arrived.
Derbyshire Constabulary has confirmed the collision resulted in four men and a woman being taken to hospital, with three of them suffering serious injuries.
Another collision on 2 October 2024, between a Volkswagen Golf and a Ford Transit tipper vehicle, also confirmed by Derbyshire police, resulted in two people being taken to hospital, but their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
Derbyshire County Council previously stated, as long ago as February 2025, that a traffic regulation order was published to advertise a reduction in the speed limit on the B6417 down to 40mph and for the section of Mansfield Road from Clowne to Oxcroft to be reduced to 50mph.
The county council also explained that plans to reduce speed limits have to go through a long legal process before the introduction of additional signage, which will provide warnings about the road and the new maximum speed limits.
District Cllr Hales has said that the scale of the problem on Mansfield Road has meant the community has not even been able to carry out community speed watches to provide statistics because it is not safe to do so with the 60mph speed limit.
She has been pushing for traffic-calming measures along the road, particularly along stretches near residential properties.
The county council met with campaigners and, after working with Derbyshire Constabulary, increased some signage at the entrances to nearby Oxcroft to encourage road safety and sensible driving through the village, but residents are still waiting for speed limit reductions and further safety measures.
Derbyshire Constabulary has also worked with the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership and previously confirmed there have been mobile enforcement sites along the B6417 which have been used to monitor traffic by the Casualty Reduction and Enforcement Support Team, with enforcement taken when necessary and appropriate.
The county council has confirmed the police are supportive of the proposed changes and that it has consulted its statutory consultees as part of the Traffic Regulation Process.
Derbyshire Constabulary also previously confirmed the force supports the county council’s proposals after the council stated it was looking at introducing a reduced speed limit through the Oxcroft area along the B6417 Mansfield Road.
County Cllr Hill said: “We’d like to assure local people that we haven’t forgotten this work – it is in hand. The signs are ordered and in stock. We expect that they will go up in April or May.
“The teams that will do this work are mainly concentrating on fixing potholes at the moment and are also those who grit the roads when needed – these are our priorities during the winter months.”
