Holme Valley green lanes plagued by nuisance off-roaders finally closed to 4x4s

The decision to shut Scaly Gate and Scar End Lane at New Mill near Holmfirth comes six months after Kirklees Council issued an 18-month Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to shut nearby Cheese Gate Nab Side.

Both routes are popular with green laners who drive the tracks using 4x4s and trail bikes. However the pastime, which is legal and not prohibited by law, can leave local authorities facing big bills for surface damage caused by off-road vehicles.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands Scaly Gate was shut in order for repair work to take place. The closure means it cannot be used by motorised vehicles. However pedestrians, cyclists and horses are unaffected.

The two-tonne concrete blocks were put in position on Tuesday (April 19) by council staff and have been welcomed by locals who praised the authority and the police for their actions.

One resident said: “The police have been brilliant. They have been very proactive, seizing and crushing illegal vehicles. It’s taken the council longer to act but they have admitted responsibility for the route and that they have to repair it.”

There was also praise for local councillor Donald Firth, who met with council staff to discuss how the closures could take place.

The decision to block the Holme Valley routes coincides with the end of a consultation period on the government’s proposed landscape review.

That review by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) includes questions over whether motor vehicles should be restricted from using unsealed and unclassified roads.

The consultation period began in January and ended on April 9.

Residents had previously complained of 'relentless' visits by convoys of green laners, often driving unlicensed vehicles, who wreck dirt tracks, narrow lanes and winding roads with souped-up 4x4s and trail bikes.

They are powerless to stop the pastime, in which drivers use routes categorised as byways open to all traffic, or BOATs (byways open to all traffic), as it is legal and not prohibited by law.

However, driving on private land outside of a designated green lane without the landowner's permission is illegal.

People living in the vicinity of Scaly Gate say there have been several incidents with green laners who they described as intimidating and frequently abusive.