'It has been a total nightmare': Sinkhole hit road in Northampton is causing residents misery

Highways and water company bosses are set to hold crunch talks about a Northampton road that has repeatedly collapsed over the last six months.
It's back again... a sinkhole begins to open up again in Balmoral Road.It's back again... a sinkhole begins to open up again in Balmoral Road.
It's back again... a sinkhole begins to open up again in Balmoral Road.

A chasm opened in Balmoral Road back in December and was 6ft wide by the time Anglian Water workers repaired it in January.

Just two months later, cones were placed along the road in Queen's Park again, when another void opened further along the through route.

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The second hole was repaired on April 25, but frustrated residents have issued a warning to anyone driving the route again - as the supposedly repaired second hole is already beginning to buckle inwards.

Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.
Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.

Mum-of-three Chloe Linnell, 26, said the latest dip in the road knocked a bumper off of one of her cars.

She lives directly outside of where the hole is and also sees cars swerve to avoid it all the time.

She said: "It's been a total nightmare, every car that I own has a scratch on the arch where people have swerved to avoid the dip.

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"It is only two inches deep now, but that will grow like the others and lorries come down here all the time."

The first sinkhole was repaired after it eventually spread to around 6ft in width.The first sinkhole was repaired after it eventually spread to around 6ft in width.
The first sinkhole was repaired after it eventually spread to around 6ft in width.

Both Anglian Water and Northamptonshire County Council deny responsibility for the repair work along Balmoral Road, which is situated near to a historic natural spring according to 19th-century Ordinance Survey maps.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “We are in the process of arranging a site meeting with Anglian Water to determine with whom responsibility lies with regard to repairing the defects in Balmoral Road.

“Once this is done we can determine who will be carrying out the works and timescales involved.”

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However, Anglian Water says the consistent collapses have nothing to do with its maintained pipe network.

Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.
Pictures of the first chasm to open in Balmoral Road in December.

"We have surveyed the whole length of Balmoral Road and we have found no defect," a spokeswoman for the company said.

"We are speaking to highways and it does appear to be a highways matter rather than an Anglian Water matter.

"Currently we are at a loss as to how this keeps happening."