A sinkhole has closed the main road through a village.
The B4058 Rushmire Hill in Coombe, near Wotton-under-Edge, had to be closed immediately on June 13.
Gloucestershire County Council said an urgent investigation revealed a fault with a drainage system belonging to Wessex Water and they are now carrying out their own investigations. Beneath the surface of the road the hole is approximately 3.5m deep and 5m wide, so a full road closure is necessary until the drainage system is repaired and the road is made stable again.
Cllr Joe Harris, cabinet member for highways maintenance at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “A large sinkhole appeared on Rushmire Hill on Friday, and we fenced off the area to keep the public safe. Our investigation found that the drainage system in the area is owned by Wessex Water, and we believe the work will come under their responsibility unless their excavation work shows there is another contributing factor to the sinkhole. They are currently at the site carrying out work and repairs.
“Once we’ve reviewed the results of the investigation, we’ll decide on the best course of action and share an update as soon as we can. We’d like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while we work to resolve this issue.”
Separate works are being carried out along Rushmire Hill to prevent landslips and prevent future road closures. These works are running on schedule and expected to be completed by July 6. While we can not guarantee the sinkhole will be resolved by then, we are currently optimistic that the road can be fully opened by this date.
