This sink hole has opened up on a York road.
The hole is near the junction of North Moor Road and the Old Village in Huntington, close to Huntington Primary School, and first appeared about two weeks ago.
City of York Council has written to nearby residents and businesses with an update on the hole, “which we appreciate has been both disruptive and alarming for everyone who lives or works in the area”.
Believing it to be the result of collapsed drains, Yorkshire Water engineers were initially called in to investigate.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water told YorkMix: “We investigated our network in the area as a precaution but found no structural defects on our network.
“The site has been handed to local council highways department as there was evidence of collapsed highways drains which are believed to be the cause.”
In his letter to local residents, Derek Grant, the council’s drainage frontline manager, says: “The council has now taken responsibility for the repairs and a specialist contractor will be carrying out deep excavation works from Monday 7 June.
“This is alongside our own drainage engineer.
“This will identify why this has happened, how we can carry out repairs and stop a reoccurrence.
“Until the more detailed excavations have taken place, we will not be able to identify the exact timescales of repair, but we will keep you updated on progress.”
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He adds: “Our immediate priority throughout the works has been to ensure the safety of residents, particularly as the sink hole is so close to Huntington Primary Academy.
“We would like to reassure residents that the sink hole is enclosed with high steel fencing that has been extended to increase the safety margin around where the road has collapsed. This will be in place until the wider investigation work can be undertaken.”
Mr Grant said the void was unlikely to expand much more, and “it appears to be a surface water issue rather than a foul sewerage matter”.
He adds: “All access via the junction at the Working Men’s Club will be closed for the duration of the works for safety reasons. Access into and out of the Old Village will continue to be at the junction with North Moor Road.
“We appreciate there is a lot of inconvenience, and we are working with Yorkshire Water to keep any disruption to a minimum.”