A large hole has appeared on a busy Buxton road

The hole on Macclesfield Old Road looked like a normal pothole at the end February but extensive rain and persistent traffic caused the ground to collapse and now there is a gap of about a metre wide.

Resident Mike Gray reported the growing hole. He said: “It is now really dangerous, half the road is shut off and my next door neighbour’s son said a car mounted the pavement when he was walking to school to avoid the road block.”

Derbyshire County Council said: “We closed off the hole and investigations show a water pipe owned by Severn Trent is damaged under the surface and we are now waiting for them.”

High Peak Council Samantha Flower and County Councillor Tony Kemp visited the site and expressed their concern.

Councillor Kemp said: “We have been working with Severn Trent, the health and safety staff at High Peak and also the Highways department to ensure the site is made safe and will be repaired as soon as possible.”

The local bus service has been re-routed to avoid the houses above the sinkhole for safety reasons.

A Severn Trent spokesman said: “We’re sorry to anyone affected by the roadworks we have a damaged pipe which we need to fix. We’re planning to complete those repairs as soon as possible and then the council will be able to complete the repairs to the road.”