The notorious Sheffield road that's been voted the most hated in Britain by drivers

The infamous Snake Pass is the road most avoided by the nation's van drivers, according to a new survey.

The A57 which links Sheffield with Glossop on the other side of the Peak District, is famed for its twists and turns, blind summits – and regularly being closed in winter because of snow.

Car and van hire comparison site Stressfreecarrental.com asked its customers across the UK which roads they find dangerous, highly congested, or have general poor conditions.

And the Snake Pass came out as number one in the survey.

Among the responses of other roads to avoid were well known highway trouble spots such as A285 in Sussex, and the A4 in London.

Some country roads also pose danger such as the Horseshoe Pass in North Wales, while The Hog’s Back, part of the A31 in Surrey, joins the list for its pesky habit of melting in summer months.

A spokesman for Stressfreecarrental.com said: “Delivery drivers don’t have a lot of time to spare when they’re on the road delivering parcels, especially with the recent rise in online shopping. They often need to get to the job as quickly as possible. But there are many routes that van drivers really do dislike having to drive.

“With many of these roads, drivers need to take extra caution, stay vigilant and make smart decisions.

“For van drivers, sometimes it makes sense to avoid a road altogether if there’s an alternative route that has less traffic, or fewer hazards.

“Some of the roads revealed will be well known to UK drivers, but some may also come as a surprise. So, make sure when planning the next long journey to take these roads into consideration.”

First opened in 1821, the route across the Pennines is a popular route for bikers but has a bad accident record with dozens of fatal crashes on the road over the decades.

The road even featured in a song by Sheffield band The Human League called The Snake on their 2001 album Secrets.