Huge 10ft wide sinkhole opens up in middle of residential street with locals left to erect safety cordon themselves
- The ground gave way on Heywood Road, Prestwich, in Greater Manchester
A huge sinkhole has suddenly appeared in the middle of a busy road leaving homeowners fuming.
The ground gave way to the massive chamber, measuring roughly six feet deep and ten feet wide, earlier today on Heywood Road, Prestwich, Greater Manchester.
Traffic was brought to a standstill following the shocking incident, with a hasty perimeter set up around it by police and locals.
But locals who gathered at the chasm vented their anger at the poor quality of the road running past their properties, where most are valued at around £300,000.
One said: ‘This has happened quite a few times, further up. Neighbours are sick and fed up with it.
The ground gave way earlier today on Heywood Road, Prestwich, Greater Manchester
Traffic was brought to a standstill following the shocking incident
‘I heard when this started going because I could hear the undersides of cars being hit.
‘I phoned Bury Council and the police and put some bins around it. It was when I went back to take a picture that I saw the bins sinking.
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‘We had to get people’s attention, so the bins have been put out by residents and someone who works in construction nearby got the tape.’
This was not the first sinkhole to appear in the UK as in May earlier this year a terrified spaniel leapt into a 50-foot sinkhole and was winched to safety by firefighters.
There was also a giant 30ft wide and 9ft deep sinkhole crater in South Wales spotted in February which left experts baffled.
Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, climate change and operations on Bury Council, said a water company should take responsibility for the sinkhole.
He also called on the government to provide more funding for road maintenance in the local area.
Mr Quinn said: ‘We phoned United Utilities, we believe it to be their issue.. They will come down. Council engineers were on it straight away. Barriers are up.
‘The only problem is Prestwich is built on sand, so if there is a leak the water can wash the sand away and lead to collapse.’
‘We have had a few in the area, the last one was at the junction. We have just had this superstorm and United Utilities are stretched because of global warming.
‘We need the government to provide more funding.’
Councillor Alan Quinn said a water company should take responsibility for the sinkhole
Locals who gathered at the chasm vented their anger at the poor quality of the road running past their properties
A spokesperson from the Bury Council added: ‘This is a collapsed sewer, and United Utilities will be dealing with that.
‘The road has been blocked off and diversions put in place via Heys Road and Bury Old Road and vice versa.
‘The duration required for the closure is unknown at the moment.’
A spokesperson from United Utilities said: ‘A sinkhole has been reported to us on Heywood Road in Prestwich and our engineers will be attending to investigate.’
Earlier this year in May there was again another sinkhole which appeared over a tunnel which was built for HS2.
It sparked backlash from campaigners with one self-proclaimed activist, Mark Keir, writing on Twitter saying it is ‘time to stop digging’.
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