The route was cleared and road closed signs removed, but the council has reiterated the road is still officially shut
A mystery person who carried out an "unauthorised" clean-up of a closed road near Yeovil has been described as a "legend" by locals, but the council has reiterated that the route is still officially shut for safety reasons. Chinnock Hollow has been closed for two-and-a-half years after a landslip, but a person or group of people recently completely cleared the route and removed road closed signs.
Chinnock Hollow, between East Chinnock and Odcombe, is not a major road, but it is an important route for motorists travelling around the area to the west of Yeovil. It features high banks on both sides and has been fully closed since a significant landslide hit the route in February 2021, with debris left on the road to "deter people from using the unsafe route".
Following extensive studies, Somerset Council recently revealed it "could not justify" spending around £2.7m on reopening the road - meaning it will remain closed until further funding becomes available. Despite this, the road was unofficially and mysteriously reopened recently after a large amount of debris was cleared and road closed signs were taken down.
Reacting to the news on social media, Victoria Elizabeth described the person who carried out the work as "an absolute legend", while Thomas Oliver McCrae wrote: "Power to the people who want this open". Tina Louise Lay wrote: "Well done to whoever it was, I wish there was more people like this about", while Adam Pritchard added: "They have actually done a decent job clearing it."
Janet Wyatt wrote: "This road was resurfaced and updated not that many years ago when the Around Britain Cycle race used the route. Now it's impassable, and the A30 in West Coker is closed - it's difficult for locals to go to Yeovil now." Steve Moore added: "I don’t want to pay my rates or car tax which funds public infrastructure, but I have done and so has everybody else so the council should stop making excuses and get on with it."
However, not everyone was happy about the unofficial reopening. Lisa Pearson said: "Maybe spend a few thousand pounds and put some concrete bollards to shut the road a bit more permanently until funds can be made available."
On Monday (August 1), Somerset Council reiterated to residents that the road remains officially closed "on safety grounds" and confirmed that the closure signs will be replaced. A spokesman for the council added: "The debris was deliberately left on the road to deter people from trying to use an unsafe route. Now it has been moved we will have to look at spending public money securing the site so it cannot be used. Money that could be better spent elsewhere.
"The road is closed because a report – an independent report - found it was not safe to open and public safety has to come first. This is a real risk, not a theoretical one."
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