Suspected sewer collapse causes 20ft sinkhole in Scarborough

The hole opened on Stepney Road yesterday evening and closed the road overnight between Stepney Drive and Seamer Moor Lane.

Officers said the hole does not pose a threat to nearby properties.

Fire services were also called to the scene at 6pm last night. They said that “the hole, which was approx 3m deep with an under surface cavity approx 5m wide, also caused damage to a number of nearby vehicles. No persons were involved or injured. Crews assisted with scene safety and traffic management.”

North Yorkshire County Council said the road has since reopened with temporary traffic lights in place.

The authority said its senior engineers and Yorkshire Water engineers are on site this morning.

"We will provide an update as soon as we can," the council added.

Beacon Recovery Services have offered free assistance to vehicles which have been damaged by the sinkhole. They said they were called out several times last night and "are here to help the best we can.” They can be contacted on 01723 628000.