Sheringham sinkhole becomes 'tourist attraction'

The hole in Sheringham High Street, Norfolk, has meant restrictive access to some shops and restaurants

A sinkhole that has been in the high street of a seaside town for more than a month has become a "tourist attraction".

The 2m-wide (7ft) hole appeared at about 13:00 BST on 25 May in Sheringham, Norfolk.

Anglian Water said a sewer pipe was "significantly damaged" and it was working "as fast as possible" to fix the pipe and repair the hole.

Town councillor Liz Withington said the sinkhole had "put the town on the map".

She said "people from all over the country" were coming to see what had happened.

The fire service said the sinkhole was about 16ft (5m) deep

Anglian Water said it needed to "assess the full extent of the damage and plan the necessary repair, to give a more accurate idea of timescales".

The water company has said a loss adjuster would be looking at ways of supporting local businesses which wished to make insurance claims.

The window display in a Sheringham toy shop has recreated the town's newest tourist attraction

Sheringham Town Council and North Norfolk District Council said that local events such as the carnival and the Potty Festival, which sees Morris dancers descend on the town, would still go ahead.

Ms Withington said an "incredible amount of work had gone on" to prepare the town's events.

Some business have used the closed road to put tables and chairs out on the high street

Terry Butler from Crofters restaurant said it was a "tough time" while the road was fully closed and had it gone on longer he "would have had to look at closure".

He praised Anglian Water and said it had been "very good, understanding and helpful".

He also thanked "the whole of Sheringham and the community for their support," once the road partially re-opened.

Anglian Water said it had dug down 8m inside the sinkhole to reach the damaged sewer pipe