UU U TURN ? 

It appears that UU are finally bowing to public pressure as they have just put out a Statement saying that :

“United Utilities has been working with specialist engineering teams to assess the [Rough Crag] rock face [at Thirlmere] and identify what needs to be done to make it safe. Recognising the landscape is protected, the company is now working with Natural England and the relevant authorities to gain the permission for the work to be completed. This would include scaling of the rock face from above and installation of protective netting and barriers to prevent further erosion and debris from falling. This work can only be done with permission due to the protected nature of the landscape and carried out over the winter to minimise any impact to nesting birds”.

This contradicts various statements and messages UU have issued over the last 2 years, when they consistently argued that Rough Crag was too dangerous, too difficult and too environmentally sensitive to fix. So have UU finally made a U turn ? 

We need to remain cautious as the latest UU statement includes various caveats and signs that they may not be fully committed to reopening this road. 

The Keep Thirlmere Open Campaign tentatively welcomes parts of this new statement, but we will only judge UU on their actions not their words. So far, we have seen precious little evidence of action or commitment from UU to reopen this road. As such we intend to remain vigilant and keep the pressure on UU to do the right thing and work to quickly reopen the road to all users. The Rally at Thirlmere on Sunday 5th November will go ahead as planned.