Stoke-on-Trent: Sagging Boatman Drive may reopen

The cracks and sagging led to the road being closed

Residents may soon be able to park outside their homes again - three years after huge cracks appeared in the road.

Boatman Drive in Stoke-on-Trent was shut to cars when not only cracks emerged in 2019, but the surface and pavement began to sag.

The city council said its technical investigations found "a long-term problem" underground, with "potentially enduring impact".

But it added it was working to reopen the road with some restrictions.

"The review findings may mean that it is possible to re-open the road to residents, with suitable monitoring and weight restrictions," a spokesperson said.

"We are working through the detail of this and will keep residents informed.

"We cannot release the full detail of the report because its content could be subject to future legal processes."

The road was blocked off for investigations

Residents, who said they had experienced subsidence problems for some time, found the road surface suddenly worsened in August 2019.

The council, which is responsible for maintaining the road at the site in Etruria, previously said it first became aware of problems during a routine inspection in 2018.

It has since been locked in a dispute over the issue with a housing developer and utility provider.