Three-week road closure a ‘minor inconvenience’ (From York Press)

Three-week closure of Hillam Lane a ‘minor inconvenience’

8:28am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in Selby & Tadcaster By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

REPAIRS to an electrical cable under a road near Selby have been welcomed by residents, despite a three-week road closure in the area.

Hillam Lane will be closed at the junction with Betteras Hill Road from tomorrow while repairs to electricity lines are carried out.

The Press understands the closure will affect both lanes of the road to allow workers from Northern Powergrid to carry out maintenance in the area and involving major ground works.

In 2007, two kingfishers were found dead in the dyke at Hillam, with concerns oil had leaked from a fluid-filled electrical cable and had poisoned the birds. Meetings were held between the parish council, Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and Northern Powergrid (then CE Electric).

Resident Neil Sutcliffe said the closure of the road was a minor inconvenience, but would help make the area safer for wildlife.

Mr Sutcliffe said: “The works at the end of Hillam Hall Lane are to be welcomed. We have been campaigning for a long time for the culvert to be renewed, and this is going to happen, but it can’t be done without the closure.”

A Northern Powergrid spokesman said: “We apologise to all motorists affected by this road closure, but sadly it is unavoidable.

“The work we are carrying out on this stretch of road is extensive, laying a new 132,000 volt electricity cable and carrying out additional ground works as part of our scheme to upgrade the supply infrastructure in the local area.”

Mr Sutcliffe said: “The contractors are doing everything they can to calm our nerves, and to be helpful as much as they can. They have taken everything we have said into account, and coudn’t be doing better. We have nothing to complain about.”

The Hillam Lane works coincide with nearby maintenance work by Yorkshire Water, between Hillam Lane and the A63, at Hillcrest in Monk Fryston, which will run from Friday until Tuesday. However, Yorkshire Water, which is carrying out the maintenance, said these were minor works which were not expected to cause any delays.