Witham: Driver in shock as sinkhole swallows wheel

The hole gave way beneath the unfortunate driver on Saturday

A driver was left "shaken and shocked" when a sinkhole opened up beneath her car, swallowing up the front wheel.

The surface on Newland Road in Witham, in Essex, is understood to have begun to give way late on Saturday afternoon.

Jessica Augustin was driving with her three children when her Alfa Romeo "just plunged into this deep hole".

She said everyone got out safely and the car was towed out of the hole, which is about one metre wide (3ft), and a similar depth.

"It was very frightening - the road just opened up beneath us," Ms Augustin said.

A crowd gathered to look at the car in the hole

She had her three teenage children in the car with her, and with one wheel stuck in the hole, and the two passenger-side wheels "in the air a bit", they all had to scramble out.

"Everyone was OK - shaken and shocked - but I just kept thinking, 'what if a motorcycle or something had gone over it?'

"Thankfully someone knew a local breakdown guy and he towed the car out," she said.

The hole opened up on Saturday

She was able to drive it home, although Ms Augustin said there were some scuffs on the car and her husband had to cable-tie one of the bumpers back on.

She is now in touch with her insurance company.

Nicole Porter was one of a number of people to see the incident, and post photographs and comments on Facebook on Witham Talk Group.

She told the BBC she and her manager had just closed their shop when they spotted the car in the hole.

"There were men saying, 'let's lift it out', but other people were saying, 'you can't, it's a sinkhole and it might collapse'."

Barriers have been erected around the hole

After the car was towed away, barriers were placed around the hole to allow for repairs to take place.

A road closure is in place in the town between Maldon Road and Collingwood Road.

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