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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Abigail Nicholson

Pictures show inside 'scary' sinkhole which swallowed half a road

New pictures have shown the inside of a "scary" sinkhole that swallowed a section of busy road.

Merseyside Police received a call at around 2.20pm on Monday, July 4, reporting a large sinkhole had opened up on Beech Street near the junction of Holly Road in Kensington. Once officers arrived they found the hole, which takes up around half of the road, and placed a cordon around it.

Liverpool City Council and United Utilities were then called to take over responsibility. Diversions were quickly put into place by Liverpool Council and traffic was coping well when out ECHO reporter was at the scene.

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People in L7 first knew about the sinkhole when they received an email from United Utilities letting them know they wouldn't be able to use their water, or may have low pressure. A number of people on the road told The ECHO they then saw the pictures of the sinkhole online.

One person who lives on Holly Road, who asked not to be named, said: "I didn't hear anything at all, the first I saw was when the police arrived and I started hearing commotion outside. It's my worst nightmare, imagine if somebody was walking over at the time or driving their car, it's mad.

"They said we should have water back on soon but the road could be closed for ages. It will be a pain for getting around."

Pictures from inside the sinkhole on Beech Street in Kensington (Liverpool Echo)

Another person living in the area said: "It's so scary, and a wonder nobody was hurt. I usually drive this way and it's busy in the mornings, I imagine it will be chaos."

Traffic monitoring service, INRIX, is reporting the sinkhole is around 10ft deep and pictures taken at the scene show the inside of the sinkhole. The yellow pipe that can be seen in the images is a gas pipe, which was not damaged when the road collapsed.

It is believed the sinkhole was cause by a collapsed sewer, and United Utilities is currently at the scene and investigating.

Pictures from inside the sinkhole on Beech Street in Kensington (Liverpool Echo)

An update from a United Utilities spokesperson said: “Our team have identified a burst water main and are carrying out further investigations in order to establish a repair plan. Our water tankers are in the area to help get taps flowing again.

"We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank customers for their patience.”

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