Reports of 'sink hole' close to West Coast Mainline at Leyland Railway Station - here's what's really happening
Panicked reports of a ‘sink hole’ opening up just feet away from the West Coast Mainline have been shot down by authorities.
Comments made on Facebook by members of the Friends of Leyland Station suggest that a ‘sink hole’ had “already swallowed the entrance to our compound and part of the community fruit tree garden. It is about to get even bigger and swallow most of the compound itself and the fence.”
Pictures uploaded show a large hole in the ground of the Moss Lane car park, just feet away from the tracks that carry the West Coast Mainline trains. The area appears to be cordoned off, with an electricity cable clearly visible.
Leyland Station sees dozens of movements through it every day, with two express trains per hour southbound to Manchester Airport via Chorley and Manchester Piccadilly, and one train per hour semi-fast to Liverpool Lime Street.
The truth
Electricity North West confirmed it isn’t a sink hole and the work was planned in advance - but resinstatement still needs to be completed.
A spokesperson said: “Teams have completed planned repair work on a 11,000-volt underground cable following a fault which happened in Leyland last week. Whilst work took place, Network Rail were kept up to date and the area will remain fenced off for safety reasons until the reinstatement is complete.”
Network Rail have been contacted, but it is not believed that any services have been disrupted by the work.