Huge 32ft sinkhole opens up on street in Manchester just metres away from homes

Dramatic images have captured a 32-foot-long sinkhole in the middle of a busy main road close to people’s homes.

Drone images show the sinkhole which formed yesterday on Briscoe Lane, near the junction with Chelsea Road in Manchester, which was caused by a burst water pipe.

United Utilities has set up a 20 square metre cordon with yellow construction barriers while workers assess the gaping hole.

Images also show how workers have since partially filled the ditch, which sits near residents’ houses, using a digger.

Briscoe Lane is currently closed in both directions with a diversion in place for drivers passing through the area.

Yesterday, dozens of residents and business owners complained of having no water or little water pressure in their properties.

One resident said: ‘I can’t put my heating on. They’ve [United Utilities] dropped off buckets, but there’s not enough water for cleaning.’

United Utilities apologised for the inconvenience caused, and they have since confirmed the burst has been fixed and water has been ‘restored’ to the area.

However, they have warned that residents may need to wait a number of hours until water pressure is fully restored.

They have also said homeowners may come across a ‘discolouration’ of the water from the tap, which the water company claims is ‘unlikely to be harmful and will settle down again with time’.

The Manchester City Council say they are also aware of the incident.

In December, dramatic footage caught the moment a narrowboat plunged into a massive ‘sinkhole’, before the canal was drained of water.

A ‘major incident’ was declared after the collapse in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch in Shropshire.

Later, four narrowboats could be seen sitting on the mud in Llangollen Canal, where the water had drained completely, with two in the hole and one teetering over the edge.

Much of the water appears to have gone into an adjacent field via a collapsed bank.

Those on the two boats which ended up in the hole managed to jump off in time, while people in nearby boats were rescued by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

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