Stoke-on-Trent road shut after huge cracks appear near homes

The road was closed to traffic on Friday afternoon

A road in Stoke-on-Trent has been closed after huge cracks appeared and pavement outside homes began to sag.

Residents living on Boatman Drive say they have experienced subsidence problems for some time, but the surface has worsened in the past two days.

The council said tenants in one property had to leave, with repairs impossible until the ground was stabilised by Redrow Homes.

The house-builder said it was working to establish the cause.

Stoke City Council, which is responsible for maintaining the roads and pavements at the site in Etruria, said it first became aware of a problem during a routine inspection last year.

"Since then, our investigations have led us to believe there is reasonable evidence to suggest the general land settlement has been a problem for a number of years," a spokesman said.

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Redrow Homes said it was 'aware of reports of subsidence'

There have also been reports from residents of sunken fences and sheds.

The council said it had put up signs warning people to call before carrying out digging on their land.

Redrow Homes said it was "aware of reports of subsidence" and was "working with the local authority to establish the root cause of any potential issue".