Large Norwich sinkhole 'could take a week to fill'

The 4m (13ft) deep hole opened up in Frere Road Park on the Heartsease Estate, Norwich

A large sinkhole that opened up in the middle of a city park could take up to a week to fill in, a council has said.

The hole, which is 3m (9ft) wide and 4m (13ft) deep, appeared in Frere Road Park in Norwich on Tuesday evening.

The city council said it may have been caused by underlying chalk "eroding", as the Eastern Daily Press reported.

Contractors are expected to begin work on the hole on Friday, and will fill it in, but a spokeswoman said this could take a week to complete.

The land collapsed on a field next to a bowling green

What is it about Norwich and sinkholes?

• The city is built on chalk which can be dissolved and weakened by rainwater

• The water gradually enlarges the cracks and this forms a hole or collapses

• A bus was half-swallowed by a sinkhole in 1988

• Since 2016, at least four other sinkholes have appeared including a 20ft cavern

Source: Prof Julian Andrews, University of East Anglia

The council said police alerted them to the large hole on the Heartsease Estate and its team was "able to get on site quickly to start work to resolve the issue".

"We've appointed a contractor to start work on Friday, and this work will likely involve installing a concrete cap, then filling with gravel, sand, then a topsoil," the spokeswoman said.

"We have shut the whole piece of land around the hole as a precaution, which due to its location should not affect use of the park."

People's use of the park surrounding Frere Road Community Centre should not be affected, the city council said

The hole has been cordoned off until it can be filled in

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