Snowfall leads to road closures and school shutdowns in Derbyshire

Following snowfall in Derbyshire, three roads have reopened, and two schools have been confirmed as closed for the day. Derbyshire County Council verified the reopening of the A54 Cat and Fiddle, the A53 Axe Edge connecting Buxton and Leek, and the A6024 Holme Moss from Crowden to Holmfirth. The authority reported that gritting operations on primary routes commenced at 04:00 GMT on Friday, adding that all other main routes “remain passable with care.” The closures include Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth and Unstone Junior School in Unstone. In a social media post, the council added: “The area from Buxton to Newhaven has been worst hit by snow conditions, and our gritters have been out ploughing overnight to keep main routes open.” The same post also cautioned motorists to exercise care when driving. According to the travel monitoring website Inrix, the A515 in Newhaven is currently “impassable due to snow” between the A5012 and the B5056. Separately, the Buxton Mountain Rescue Team responded to “multiple incidents” on Thursday, attributed to the wintry weather conditions. Team members provided assistance to the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and the ambulance service after a “multiple-vehicle incident” occurred in The Street. This collision resulted in the road being blocked, situated near The Goyt Valley. A spokesperson for the team remarked: “Thankfully, all involved walked away.” The council announced that teams would be deploying on Friday afternoon to grit more than 1,500 miles of A and B roads. A spokesperson also indicated an expectation of an additional eight centimetres of snow on higher ground overnight and urged individuals to exercise caution during travel. Additional reporting was provided by George Torr.