Boston Road South closed as sinkhole opens once again

Just days after saying dips were inevitable, Lincolnshire County Council has again had to close a Holbeach road after a sinkhole reopened.

A small part of Boston Road South, Holbeach – between Tesco and Holbeach Primary School – has opened up, leaving a hole in the road surface.

That’s despite extensive works having been carried out on the road in the last few years and the council having said last week it was ‘expecting’ dips.

A county council spokesman said: “Emergency crews from LCC are on site and have been working to assess the issue.

“As a result of what they have found happened with the surface itself, the road is now temporarily closed to ensure the safety of residents, road users and the work crew.

“Today’s (Monday) initial inspections haven’t been able to identify a specific reason for the collapse, but LCC is working with Anglian Water whilst it carries out another, further inspection of its asset at the location.

“Once the inspections have happened a course of action to repair the section will be put in place. The section of road affected by the damaged surface will remain closed until the works are completed.

“No timescale for these works can yet be announced but a full programme of what needs to happen will be made public once the inspections have been completed.”

Last week The Voice asked Lincolnshire County Council about new issues with the road with a council spokesman responding on Thursday: “After the latest inspection, some parts of the road have dipped slightly.

“This was expected because the ground in the area, which makes up the underpinning level of the roads, is so soft.

“As part of the lengthy ongoing series of measures that are happening with this route, further works will continue and we will ensure that residents and road users are informed of any upcoming works in plenty of time.

“This will be part of the overall series of engineering going on with this section of road that will happen for some time to come yet.”

But the road condition has worsened since.

Coun Richard Davies, executive member of highways said: “We have reacted quickly and put the necessary safety measures in place. This is a very difficult situation for all involved right now, but the essential elements of investigation need to happen in full so that we can all understand exactly what’s happened.

“Once we have that information, we can all work together to put in place the best solution. It’s worth stressing that the area under this road is unique in that it moves and shifts much more than we find with other roads. Previously, we have dug down to 4 metres during our rebuilding work on this road. That’s a huge depth to go to in order to properly support and shore up the carriageway foundation.

“So to have this move again is frustrating – not only to the people of Holbeach but for us, too. Our investigation, combined with what Anglian Water are looking for, will hopefully tell us why this road has moved once again.

“When we can understand the exact cause we can then look at the best method for reinstating the road with different techniques.

“None of this takes away from the immense frustration that this will cause to residents and businesses in the area, and we would like to thank them all for their understanding about the unique challenge of this issue and their patience whilst we carry out our work to rectify the situation.”