Presence of Sinkholes Slowly Increases Across UK- Avoid Surprises With a Mining Search
Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland – Image Google Streetview
Sinkhole Emerges in Bishop Auckland
Members of the public have been advised to steer clear of Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland, a busy high street located just 25 minutes from our Teesside office after a small sinkhole opened up late last Saturday.
Parts of the street are still cordoned off as structural engineers work to repair the damage.
The hole is estimated to be around 1ft wide and 4ft deep, however, officers warn it is gradually getting bigger.
It is not yet known what caused the sinkhole.
Meanwhile Durham Constabulary has issued the following warning:
“Durham County Council currently dealing with a sink hole on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland. Road closed – please avoid the area if possible.”
Police have also stated “There is no risk to any of the buildings and no evacuations have been required.
“It is the water board agency that are going to primarily be dealing with it.”
Eye witness Chris Leach, who owns local business Baby and Toddler Kingdom on Newgate Street, told ITV Tyne Tees of the moment he noticed the sinkhole:
“A customer came in around 3pm and said to my wife ‘have you seen the hole outside?’ so she went and checked and couldn’t believe it. It had come from nowhere and definitely wasn’t there this morning.
She rang me and I immediately told her to stop people from walking along that section of the pavement, right next to the road where the sinkhole has opened. I put bollards out and rang the police.
As soon as they got here they closed the road and all the businesses along the street have been evacuated.
Most were already closed so it’s not caused too much trouble but this is one of the roads used by people getting to Kynren so it’s going to cause a few problems tonight.
There’s no way to tell how big this hole is or how big it could become at the moment.”
Rob Beckitt, duty operations manager at Highways England said: “Safety is our top priority; we need to repair the carriageway and ensure it is totally safe before drivers use it.
“We are doing all we can to carry out this work as quickly as possible and thank drivers for their patience.”
The A1 northbound was closed following the appearance of the sinkhole in between junction 67 Lamesley and 68 Lobley Hill of the A1 motorway. Check here for up to date traffic reports.
Avoid Surprises With a Mining Search
Reports of sinkholes are increasingly popping up in local and national news. This surge highlights the importance of knowing an area’s mining history.
Ensure you don’t get any nasty surprises by including a mining report in your next conveyancing package.
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