March 28, 2022 5.30 pm This story is over 23 months old

County council begins urgent investigation into Lincolnshire sinkhole

It is not the first time the sinkhole has appeared

Lincolnshire County Council has launched an urgent investigation to find out the cause of a sinkhole in Holbeach, which has forced the temporary closure of the road.

A small section of Boston Road South, between Tesco and Holbeach Primary School, has cracked open and left a hole in the road surface. However, this is not a new problem as the issue of sinkholes appearing on that road seems to have been frustrating residents in recent years.

Emergency crews from the county council are on site and have been working to assess the issue. However, initial inspections haven’t been able to identify a specific reason for the collapse.

As a result of what they have found happened with the surface itself, the road is now temporarily closed to ensure the safety or residents, road users and the work crew. The section of road affected by the damaged surface will remain closed until the works are completed.

Lincolnshire County Council is working with Anglian Water whilst it carries out another further inspection at the location. Once the inspections have happened a course of action to repair the section of road will be put in place.

The council said no timescale for these works can be announced yet, but a full programme of what needs to happen will be made public once the inspections have been completed.

Councillor, Richard Davies, executive member of highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We have reacted quickly and put the necessary safety measures in place.

“This is a very difficult situation for all involved right now, but the essential elements of investigation need to happen in full so that we can all understand exactly what’s happened.

“Once we have that information, we can all work together to put in place the best solution. It’s worth stressing that the area under this road is unique in that it moves and shifts much more than we find with other roads.

“Previously, we have dug down to four metres during our rebuilding work on this road. That’s a huge depth to go to in order to properly support and shore up the carriageway foundation.

“So to have this move again is frustrating – not only to the people of Holbeach but for us, too. Our investigation, combined with what Anglian Water are looking for, will hopefully tell us why this road has moved once again.

“When we can understand the exact cause we can then look at the best method for reinstating the road with different techniques.

“None of this takes away from the immense frustration that this will cause to residents and businesses in the area, and we would like to thank them all for their understanding about the unique challenge of this issue and their patience whilst we carry out our work to rectify the situation.”