Plan of action for notorious Arnhem Terrace tunnel where anti-social teenagers gather

Improvements are set to be made to a “nightmare” Derby tunnel off a major road where residents fear someone will be killed. A public meeting has been called for next week by councillors in Spondon to discuss anti-social behaviour problems at the Arnhem Terrace tunnel off Arnhem Terrace Road.

The tunnel travels under the A52 Brian Clough Way connecting Derby and Nottingham. It is owned by National Highways, formerly named Highways England.

Last year major concerns about anti-social behaviour around the site were reported to the authorities and the media. The issues mainly surround dangerous motorbike riders using the tunnel as a race track, gangs forming around the tunnel, and drugs. Police have also been made aware of incidents at the tunnel and the surrounding area.

A mum of two, who lives in one of the houses next to the tunnel but did not wish to give her name, said she was frightened for her children to leave the house. She said at the time she feared someone would be killed before authorities take action.

Read more – Exhausted residents of nightmare Derby road scared to let their children out

She said: “You’ve got all the teenagers in the alleyway and then they go through riding their bikes and smashing glass in there. It has gotten to the point where in the evenings, especially in the summer, you can’t hear anything other than them. It is a nightmare.”

Another resident said: “They are always revving their engines and there are kids shouting and breaking the lights. It has been reported millions of times, everyone reports them but nobody listens. With all the noise, you can’t sleep because it echoes with it being the tunnel.”

Next week a meeting will take place fronted by Spondon councillors including Cllr Jonathan Smale to discuss proposals to improve the tunnel and to make it safer for the community. The meeting will take place at the tunnel on Wednesday, June 28, at 6pm.

Cllr Smale said Section 106 funding was available to make a number of improvements and said he understood why people would feel unsafe when walking to and from the tunnel at certain times. It is hoped work could start later this year but no timescales have yet been drawn up.

He said: “National Highways have come to the table with us to look at using Section 106 money to improve the tunnel and change things around the entrance, improve the lighting – effectively to make it more of a deterrent location for anti-social behaviour. Not only do we have the bike issue but we also have the congregation of groups of people where sometimes drug taking can happen.

“We are trying to mitigate those things with some new additional preventive measures. This meeting allows us to show these plans to residents and for them to have their say.

“From my point of view I have got used to being comfortable at the tunnel but I totally understand, especially at weekends and in the evenings, why someone who was vulnerable or an older member of the population would not want to go through that tunnel.”

National Highways, which owns the tunnel, says it will attend next week’s meeting.

The organisation’s route manager Nick Warren said: “We are aware of the issues with anti-social behaviour at the Arnhem Terrace tunnel and will be at next week’s meeting to hear the neighbourhood board’s proposals and see how we can help. We are already looking at improved lighting within the subway but we are always happy to listen to other suggestions from within the community.”