High Peak MP Robert Largan and County Councillor Linda Grooby have joined forces to call for early action on the so-called “blue lagoon” near Buxton.
Last summer saw misery for Harpur Hill residents and huge numbers of people from all across the country descended on the area to visit the so called ‘blue lagoon’.
Residents in Harpur Hill were subjected to widespread antisocial behaviour, parking chaos and rife drug use.
The disused lime quarry gained national attention after several Instagram ‘influencers’ posed for photos by the blue water. The situation was made worse by the BBC referring to the dangerous site as a “local beauty spot”.
Despite the social media posts, the site is very dangerous, with several dogs reportedly dying after visiting the area.
Following the problems last year, Councillor Linda Grooby led efforts to tackle the issue, forming a multi-agency forum to try and help Harpur Hill.
Derbyshire Police deployed police and aggressively tackled illegal parking in the area. The Council dyed the water black to discourage people from swimming in the toxic water, which has a similar PH level to bleach.
Slurry was also put down around the quarry, to dissuade revellers, leading some to rename the site the ‘poo lagoon’.
Now that the Government has announced the roadmap out of lockdown and warmer weather is on the horizon, Robert Largan MP and Councillor Linda Grooby are calling for the multi-agency forum to be re-established, to do everything possible to prevent a repeat of last year’s problems.
Robert Largan MP commented:
“Last year was a nightmare for many Harpur Hill residents. Councillor Grooby and I want the Council and Police to be pro-active and plan ahead to protect local people from yet more misery.”
Local Councillor and quarry worker, Linda Grooby added:
“It is vital we take every possible action to prevent a repeat of last summer’s chaos surrounding the ‘blue lagoon’. Harpur Hill residents must be protected from the fall out caused by the numbers of visitors arriving last year.”
Photo shows Robert Largan MP and Linda Grooby at the ‘blue lagoon’ last year, inspecting evidence of drug use.
