This is why the Hoghton sinkhole will take months to repair, even after lockdown is over

A sinkhole that closed a road in Hoghton in February will not be repaired until later this year, says the Council - this is why.
The sinkhole in Bells Lane, Hoghton was first reported in February when the road suddenly collapsed after weeks of heavy rainfallThe sinkhole in Bells Lane, Hoghton was first reported in February when the road suddenly collapsed after weeks of heavy rainfall
The sinkhole in Bells Lane, Hoghton was first reported in February when the road suddenly collapsed after weeks of heavy rainfall

The sinkhole in Bells Lane was first reported in February when the road suddenly collapsed after weeks of heavy rainfall.

It has since been cordoned off with plastic barriers and metal fencing, preventing motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from accessing Bells Lane.

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The Council has scaled back its road repairs during lockdown, but has continued with "safety-critical repairs" such as potholes.

The sinkhole has been cordoned off with barriers and fencing for the safety of the publicThe sinkhole has been cordoned off with barriers and fencing for the safety of the public
The sinkhole has been cordoned off with barriers and fencing for the safety of the public

But it is now warning that the sinkhole will not be a quick fix and could still demand months of planning before it can be repaired.

A Council spokesman said: "The answer as to why we haven't completed this particular repair is due to the amount of planning needed before we can do it.

"It's quite a significant bit of work, and currently with our design team, so is a project in itself and not a day-to-day repair.

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"Even without COVID-19 we wouldn't have done this piece of work yet due to the amount of design work and planning needed to repair the drainage system."

Lancashire County Council said the sinkhole happened due to the sheer volume of water flooding a culvert beneath the roadLancashire County Council said the sinkhole happened due to the sheer volume of water flooding a culvert beneath the road
Lancashire County Council said the sinkhole happened due to the sheer volume of water flooding a culvert beneath the road
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Two-month-old sink hole in Hoghton will only be repaired after lockdown is lifte...

"Repair of a culvert collapse such as this in normal times would take careful planning and this would be even more difficult in the current circumstances, however we will look to programme repairs as soon as the restrictions due to COVID-19 allow.

"We're sorry for any inconvenience in the meantime due to the road closure."

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