Enormous 10-foot sinkhole suddenly opens up in middle of busy residential road
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, today on Heywood Road in 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.
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“Even though it’s a residential area, this is like a main road. Cars drive too fast and the council are doing nothing to slow traffic down.”
Traffic was brought to a standstill following the shocking incident, with a hasty perimeter set up around it by police and locals (Bury Times / SWNS)“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.
“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.”
Cllr 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.
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 (Bury Times / SWNS)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.”
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.”
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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.”
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