Website and telephone payments Sunday 19 May
Our website and telephone payment systems are unavailable between 9am and 2pm on Sunday 19 May. You will not be able to pay for any council services on our website or over the phone during this time.
Driving advice, weather cameras and alternative routes for Sutton Bank, the stretch of extreme gradient on the A170 in the North York Moors.
The A170 is a single carriageway carrying traffic between Thirsk and Scarborough. At Sutton Bank, travelling eastbound towards Scarborough, the A170 climbs 160 metres from the Vale of York to the top of the North York Moors in under one mile.
You can find out if there are any current road closures here.
The bank has three sections of steep 1:4 (25%) inclines along its length. Just over half way up is a left hand hairpin bend. Near the top, there is a final short steep section before the main road bends sharply right.
The pictures are updated every ten minutes, 24 hours a day. To update the pictures, you will need to reload this page to view the latest versions.
Please make sure that you check the date and time of the camera you are viewing before making a decision about your journey. The remote location of some cameras means that from time to time, sometimes due to mobile network conditions, the pictures can become out of date.
If travelling to Scarborough, you can avoid Sutton Bank by using these alternative routes:
From the North (via Middlesbrough and Whitby)
A1(M) to junction 60 then A689, A19, A174, A172, A1043, A171.
From the South (via York and Malton)
A1(M) to junction 44 then A64.
From Thirsk
A19 (North) and A171 via Whitby or A19 (South) to York and A64 via Malton.
Avoid Sutton Bank if:
On average, two goods vehicles per day experience up to four hour delays ascending Sutton Bank.
On average, over 120 goods vehicles per year fail to make the ascent and require police assistance to proceed.
Particular issues are that:
At the bottom, engage a suitably low gear that provides flexibility to increase or decrease speed without further gear changes and remain in that gear until you are certain you have reached the top by the National Park Centre. Remember to dump or lift any axles.
You are also less likely to suffer a problem if you put in place extra load security measures before you begin the ascent.