Council chiefs have issued warning notices against two quarries over lorries dragging mud onto a blackspot country road.
Kirklees Council has issued breach of condition notices against the two quarries at either end of the B6118 Bellstring Lane/Liley Lane between Kirkheaton and Grange Moor.
The narrow and winding stretch of road saw a spate of crashes over winter forcing the council to lay anti-slip surfaces on two of the bends and install new signage and road markings.
The road is currently closed to through traffic and a deep clean has also been carried out.
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Now the council has issued notices against both Lane Side Quarry, a landfill site in Bellstring Lane, Kirkheaton, and Temple Quarry in Liley Lane between Upper Hopton and Grange Moor.
The council claims both quarries have breached conditions of their planning permission by not keeping the road clean.
Both are required to use a wheel wash on their site to prevent mud and debris being dragged out onto the road.
While facilities are in place the council alleges the site operators are “allowing vehicles to leave the site without adequate cleaning” and that their methods for cleaning vehicles are “ineffectual.”
Both quarries have been told that all lorries leaving the site must be properly cleaned while Lane Side Quarry has also been ordered to keep its access road clean.
Local resident Michael Mulligan, of Cockley Hill Lane, said the council should have acted sooner.
Builder Mr Mulligan, a former manager at Temple Quarry, had repeatedly warned that clay on the road was a big part of the problem.
“Kirklees Council are shutting the gate after the horse has bolted,” he said. “All they had to do was speak to both sites six months ago and suggest better road sweeping.
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“It also seems strange for Kirklees to send out breach of planning notices when they have been telling us all winter there is nothing wrong with the road surface and it was all down to bad and speeding drivers.”
Mr Mulligan said it had become obvious that increasing number of lorries were using Lane Side Quarry and that a single roadsweeper could not keep the road clean.
Another campaigner, Simon Moyser, of Bellstring Lane, welcomed the clean up of the road but has expressed concern about the build up of soil and vegetation on the narrow pavements.
He said the council’s roadsweeping machinery wouldn’t do the job and he urged the council to send a “man with a spade” to sort it out.
“So much time and money has now been spent on the road,” said Mr Moyser. “It would be great to get the pavements safe and sorted too.”
A council spokesman said: “The council has been using its planning enforcement powers to resolve this issue.
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“As planning conditions exist at both quarry sites, requiring wheels to be cleaned before vehicles enter the highway, we have taken a further step to resolve this by issuing breach of condition notices.
“This requires both quarry operators to carry out positive steps, within the next month, to ensure all heavy goods vehicles are cleaned to prevent mud being brought onto the highway.
“The council will continue to monitor the condition of the road and work with the quarry operators to ensure compliance.”
