Sinkhole repairs delayed by unknown water source

Work has been delayed on repairing a sinkhole the size of a family car due to an "unknown source of water", a council has said.

The hole, located on Milton Road in Cambridge, opened up on 22 June and is estimated to be up to 3m (10ft) deep.

Cambridgeshire County Council said while excavating the hole its team "discovered a new, unknown source of water, which needs investigating further", so it had paused work until the issue was resolved.

Anglian Water confirmed it had "not identified any issues with our network at this location, and our findings so far suggest that recent works in the area are not connected to this incident".

Part of the road, which is a main route between the city centre and the A14, has been closed in both directions between Hurst Park Avenue and the Elizabeth Way roundabout for three weeks.

In 2024, a multimillion-pound redevelopment of the road was completed, featuring pedestrian crossings and a cycle lane.

A spokeswoman for the council said investigations into what caused the large void were continuing.

Contractors planned to fill the hole with concrete to form a slab, which would then have to be left to dry for several days, the authority said.

Work could then begin to excavate the surrounding area and backfill the hole.

The council said it was unable to confirm when the road would reopen to traffic.

Anglian Water has been approached for further comment.

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