Pranksters blamed for unofficial road closure which brought gridlock to Kirkby

Nottinghamshire Council is reportedly now set to investigate after Mill Lane was closed from Annesley to Laburnum Avenue, Kirkby.

With Kingsway also closed in one direction until next month while Western Power Distribution upgrades the electrical network, the additional closure is said to have ‘caused havoc’.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, county council member for Ashfields, said he contacted the council, who confirmed no work was due to take place on the road.

He said: “This closure caused havoc in Kirkby – already impacted by work by Western Power on Kingsway.

“I was alerted to this problem early on Wednesday as I was stuck in the traffic and my phone was ringing off the hook.

“Via East Midlands, which carries out highways work on behalf of the the council knew nothing about this.

“An incident management team were on site and they think the signs were placed maliciously.

“This is incredibly frustrating and for hundreds of residents stuck on Kirkby’s gridlocked roads – this was no joke.

“It appears this closure was fake and I am pleased to inform the residents that the road is now open as normal.”

Gary Wood, council head of highways and transport, said: “We did not put a closure in place on Mill Lane and have not been notified of any planned or emergency works by third-parties.

“We have a team of compliance inspectors who ensure only authorised roadworks are undertaken in the county and are done so safely, with potential penalties in place for those that don’t comply with regulations.

“An inspector from Via East Midlands has attended the site to remove the signs from display and we are continuing to investigate who placed the road closure signs.”