Sinkhole opens up in Lincoln street

The sinkhole opened up in the middle of Hermit Street

A sinkhole has opened in the middle of a street in Lincoln and experts predict it will take at least a week to fix.

It was discovered in Hermit Street on Wednesday afternoon and access has been blocked via Portland Street while Anglian Water carries out emergency repairs.

Traffic and pedestrians are being diverted to allow the works to take place safely, and an emergency road closure has been authorised by Lincolnshire County Council.

Anglian Water said it was investigating the cause of the sinkhole.

Hermit Street is expected to remain closed until the end of next week

A site worker told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the sinkhole was probably the result of a collapsed sewer.

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said Hermit Street was likely to remain closed until Sunday 14 April.

They said: “Our teams are on site fixing a sinkhole on Hermit Street in Lincoln.

“In order to keep our teams and other road users safe while we work, we’ve needed to close Hermit Street, and we’re diverting traffic and pedestrians as needed.

“We’d like to thank our customers in Lincoln for bearing with us while we carry out this emergency repair.”

A sinkhole opens up when there has been some form of collapse under the surface, and, according to the British Geological Survey, they can be caused by a range of processes including erosion, dissolution or general collapse.

Heavy rainfall, leaking drainpipes and burst water mains are some of the ways in which sinkholes can occur. They can also be caused by construction work modifying surface drainage or altering the load imposed on the ground.

Lincolnshire County Council has advised people to avoid the Hermit Street area where possible.