ONE of the main arterial routes through North Yorkshire - which is also one of the county’s biggest accident blackspots - is to be closed for five weeks.

Sutton Bank near Thirsk is one of the most spectacular inland cliffs in Britain and up it snakes the A170, which has a one-in-four gradient aggravated by a hairpin bend.

Because of the width of the road and the length of the gradient there is an incident almost every other day, often involving heavy goods vehicles jack-knifing on the Bank or shedding their loads causing major delays to traffic.

The incidents frequently lead to road closures, causing major delays to traffic, and in an attempt to reduce the time the road has to be closed the county council now plans to install a new weather station and camera.

They will be used to provide remote monitoring and weather data to try and ensure the road remains passable to all vehicles - and to enable highways authorities to respond quickly to incidents or changes in weather conditions.

At the same time as installing the camera and weather station, highways contractors will carry out a major programme of winter damage repairs - and the road will be closed for five weeks from October 11.

The latter is designed to ensure the route remains in a structurally sound condition in the long term.

To minimise the disruption the annual maintenance work on Sutton Bank will also be completed at the same time. This year that includes rock face inspection, removal of vegetation, carriageway patch resurfacing and crash barrier repairs. Diversion routes will be signed.

Executive member for highways Gareth Dadd said: "I am acutely aware of the inconvenience and disruption that these works may cause; however if these repairs are not carried out, we could be in the position of facing even longer closures and disruption."

Local county councillor Caroline Patmore said she had reluctantly supported the five-week closure because the work was essential.

"If we do not undertake such an extensive programme of repairs now, we will be storing up even greater problems for ourselves in the future," she said.