Question mark remains over future of Headley Ford
The Headley farming community and villagers, crowded the Ashford Hill with Headley Parish Council meeting, where Hampshire County Council head of highways Adrian Gray revealed future options for the Thornford Road ford.
These included re-opening the ford and ‘doing nothing’ said Mr Gray, which would not address the problem of a ‘stranger driver’ directed by sat nav driving through it. The county council was consulting manufacturers on sat nav updates, to warn of the dangers of driving through the ford.
A second option involved restricting access onto Thornford Road according to the class of vehicle and increasing signage, including depth markings.
A third, “unpopular” option would be to permanently close the ford.
A vehicle turning circle was also under consideration.
The danger, Mr Gray continued, was that drivers might not be aware of the ford’s deeper waters.
“It’s possible someone could enter the ford thinking it’s ok and not very deep, then suddenly they are in the river and swept away,” he said.
Peter Hemmings, who lives next to the ford and was among those at the scene of the 2012 incident, said that HGVs unable to turn around at the ford were forced to reverse for half-a-mile up Thornford Road “churning up” grass verges.
Other villagers raised the matter of six trees blocking the ford, together with a weir, saying that the waterflow would improve if these were removed, but Mr Gray said that this would be the responsibility of individual riverside landowners – legally termed ‘riparian owners’.
Farmers working land on both sides of the ford said they needed to drive cattle through it and asked if it would be possible to erect signs stating ‘agricultural vehicles only’.
However, Mr Gray said that for legal reasons ‘access only’ was the only type of sign that could be erected.
Electronic signage requiring power supplies that could break down had been ruled out, along with barriers.
“We have had problems elsewhere with them not being closed afterwards and being vandalised,” he said, adding that the installation of a construction that only tractors could drive over had also been ruled out as unpractical.
Mr Gray said that West Berkshire Council was to be consulted, as one half of the ford lies in West Berkshire, but Hampshire County Council was taking the lead on the issue, because the fatal accident had happened on its side.
Fifty-two-year-old Middlesex judge Jonathan Gammon, was swept away at the ford, following flash floods in April 2012, when the car in which he was a passenger got into difficulties. The ford was closed following an inquest into his death in October 2012.
Mr Gray stressed that the county council was at the intitial stages of a lengthy consultation process prior to any final decision on the future of the ford, which remains closed.