Tiny hole could shut road for a week

The tiny sinkhole has been cordoned off because of concerns about a larger void around it

A tiny hole on the Isle of Wight that has closed a stretch of a road will require "significant work" to fix it because of concerns about a larger void beneath the surface.

The hole, which is about an inch (2.5cm) wide in St Mary's Road in Cowes, has been cordoned off and work to repair a section of broken sewer beneath it will begin on Tuesday by Southern Water.

An Island Roads spokesperson said they hope that because of the "several very short diversions" created and the small number of spaces along that part of the road, disruption will be "minimal".

Southern Water said it is unsure how long work might take but an Island Roads page shows the road is expected to be shut until 29 August.

The work will start in St Mary's Road on Tuesday, Island Roads said

"The appearance of initially small holes of this nature are very often a sign of larger voids beneath the road surface," the Island Roads spokesperson said.

"This was the case in this instance and following an inspection, the road was closed for safety reasons."

They added: "The site has now been taken over by Southern Water who will begin significant work to address the underlying issue on Tuesday once the necessary parking restrictions have been issued.

"There are several very short diversions in place and, given there are only a few parking spaces in this section of road, we hope disruption to residents and road users will be minimal."

A Southern Water spokesperson said: "Our teams will start work on Tuesday to fix a section of broken sewer beneath St Mary's Road.

"We are not able to say how long the work is likely to take until we have investigated further, but we will keep local residents informed of progress. We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we carry out the repair."