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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Jacob Farr

Edinburgh locals concerned as giant sinkhole appears in residential community

A concerned local resident has shared pictures of a sinkhole that looks to have suddenly appeared in the south of the capital.

They say that the hole that came out of nowhere is “20 foot” deep and that barriers had to be erected around the area to keep residents safe. One local, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that the area has a history of sinkholes showing up and swallowing land.

They say that people are worried that the area is unsafe to live in and that this could just be the start of a wider problem.

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The pictures show a deep hole in the ground that has appeared under a fence and runs deep into the ground. Roots can be seen hanging out of the soil and a plastic barrier has had to be erected to stop people from potential harm.

It is understood that the sinkhole suddenly appeared on East Kilngate Wynd in Edinburgh at around 12.45pm on Friday, March 24.

The resident said: "There appears to be a history with the area as where the sinkhole is positioned is on the site of the former Hyvots Banks Primary School which was knocked down in the 1970s due to mines lying below it. Thoughts from residents is that the area seems unsafe and that this might happen again.

“I feel the council have failed to make this area safe over the weekend and have just stuck up a railing with warning signs. Police came yesterday but it feels as though residents have not been informed about what has caused this.

“All the residents have been left in a fairly stressful situation over the weekend.

“There is activity on Facebook saying this will cause considerable issues and people have been talking about the tumble down houses in Fernieside in 2002.”

Police attended the scene on Friday and contacted Edinburgh City Council about the issue.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “At around 12.45pm on Friday, March 24, police were called to East Kilngate Wynd, Edinburgh.

“Officers attended and the relevant agency was advised.”

Edinburgh City Council confirmed they had put barriers in place as a safety measure and are trying to identify the land owners as it is not council property.

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