Reform are being accused of planning to ‘waste money’, but the council says nothing is definitive yet
Rufford Ford picture flooded on Friday, January 9, 2026(Image: Oliver Pridmore/Nottingham Post )
Plans for a bridge over a historic Nottinghamshire ford, that was previously estimated to cost £1 million are being considered again, in a move which some have dubbed “ridiculous.”
The Reform UK-run administration considering the bridge says nothing is yet “definitive” and that a final solution for the ford will now be confirmed this autumn.
The Rufford Lane ford has been closed since December 2022 at the request of Nottinghamshire Police after it became internet-famous due to YouTubers filming people making failed crossings when water levels were too high.
Crowds from across the country then began gathering at weekends to see vehicles splashing through the ford and, given the dangerously high speeds of many drivers, there were a number of reported “near-misses” at the site.
Anti-social behaviour reports in the area included residents being threatened and verbally abused by tourists at the ford and people deliberately trying to dam the river to increase the ford’s water level.
The closure was initially a temporary measure and the previous Conservative administration at Nottinghamshire County Council were months away from making this permanent.
Yet in the May 2025 election, Reform UK took control of the authority and its new leader said he was ‘sure’ there would be a resolution to reopen the ford in 2026.
This resolution is now set to come in the autumn and ahead of that, the Nottingham Post now understands that plans for a bridge that were previously dismissed by the Tories are being considered again.
The previous solution being proposed by the county council would have entailed three road humps on either side of the ford to slow down drivers.
There would also be flood gates closed at predetermined water levels, supported by electronic message signs on surrounding roads, and the site would be monitored 24/7 by security cameras for safety and enforcement.
Yet those opposing the closure say all the solutions mentioned came with a raft of problems, and it is understood that a feasibility study is now under way into the bridge option.
Councillor Sam Smith, the Conservative leader of the opposition, at Nottinghamshire County Council (Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are still in technical discussions about the best way of proceeding with traffic management at Rufford Water after carrying out scoping work at the start of the year. It’s too early to be definitive at this stage, but we will be in a position to provide an update in the autumn.”
Councillor Neil Clarke was the transport portfolio holder under the last Conservative administration, who rejected the bridge option. Reacting to the idea being resurrected, he told the Nottingham Post: “When we looked at it previously the cost of building a bridge was deemed to be just too prohibitive so that’s why we looked at other options.
“I think the design of a bridge would have to be very carefully and sensitively thought through as regarding it would completely alter the character of that area both in terms of the nearby houses and also the general aspect of the stream itself and its relation to the Rufford Mill.
“In the intervening years, I think the locals have got used to it and the dangers have been averted and I’d have thought a permanent closure, with the facility to go through a gate in an emergency, would have been the most appropriate approach to it.”
The shadow lead for transport for the Conservative opposition group at the county council, Councillor Mike Introna, said: “The money could be spent on issues that are far, far more important to residents. Every single councillor has roads in their district that are still in need of investment and this money would go some way to delivering some of those projects.
“I just think it’s ridiculous that we can consider putting a bridge over a historic ford and destroying a heritage site. Is it so we can help the people who are daft enough to drive through the ford when the water levels are too high?”
Councillor Sam Smith, the leader of the Conservative opposition group, added: “Reform pledged to stop wasting money and here we are with a proposal to spend millions of pounds on a bridge over the ford that a very small percentage of Nottinghamshire residents will utilise on a daily basis.”
Councillor Mick Barton, the Reform leader of the county council, said: “It’s all a load of rubbish yet again from the failed Tories.
“It’s been closed for years under the failed Tory leadership. They are quick to moan and call others all the time but they never come up with solutions or answers of there own .
“They just moan. That’s why they left this country and county in a mess. We are looking at lots of options for Rufford Ford and we will let everyone know in the autumn where we are.
“The Tory’s opinion doesn’t matter, for Sam to speak about the roads is laughable. They left the roads in a massive mess and the council with a big deficit.
“Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council are fixing the roads with a record-breaking investment and new equipment and new ways of working.
“Nottinghamshire Reform group is leading the way locally and nationally on improving the highways condition in our beloved county.”
On the next steps for Rufford Ford, Councillor Barton added: “We are in technical discussions about the best way forward with this and we are still looking at all options and we will let everyone know once we have decided the best option.