Sinkhole appears in Midhurst road

DRIVERS were alarmed when a huge sink hole appeared in Midhurst on Wednesday.

The A286 Bepton Road in Midhurst was closed in the afternoon due to a large sinkhole outside the Masonic Hall.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “Motorists are urged to avoid the A286 in Midhurst if possible while work is ongoing to repair a sinkhole which appeared on Bepton Road, near the Masonic Hall, yesterday afternoon.

“Southern Water has put in place a diversion route to prevent HGVs using the area. However, cars can still get access via Pertoria Avenue.

“West Sussex Highways and Southern Water are working together to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. However, due to the depth of the void, it is unlikely the road will be open until tomorrow afternoon (Friday) at the earliest.”

Peter Buckman, pictured above, a resident from Cocking was driving on his way home from work when he saw the sinkhole appear.

He said: "I was coming up through Midhurst at about 2pm and a tractor was coming towards me. I saw a lot of smoke coming up from the ground and he was braking.

"About 170mm of tarmac broke and then the whole lot dropped down, about half a metre. The hole was about 2m long and a metre wide. I stopped and with two other people, we decided to try and get the parked cars out the way and get the traffic moving.

"A local lady came and gave me a high vis jacket and we were offered tea too. We managed to keep the traffic going for around an hour or so and then the police turned up around 3pm and closed the road within ten minutes.

"A man from Clancy Docwra pulled up and had a look at the hole. He said they had been here a week or so ago repairing a water leak.

"I was the first person there on Wednesday so I had to stop. I couldn't just drive away, so I helped with the traffic."

A Southern Water Spokesperson said: “Working closely with West Sussex Highways, we are currently excavating the hole that has opened up on the A289 Bepton Road . We will shortly be carrying out investigations on our mains in order to pinpoint the cause of the hole and decide on the necessary repair work.

“In the meantime traffic diversions are in place. We appreciate this is an inconvenience but would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst we work on this emergency.”