Newbury 'sinkhole' update

Road closure to remain in place

A Newbury road which closed yesterday after a bin lorry got stuck in an apparent sink hole is not likely to re-open until next week.

Old Bath Road was closed by police after the road "appeared to open up" yesterday afternoon.

West Berkshire councillor Lynne Doherty said this morning (Friday): "Excavation has started to find the cause of the collapse and then affect a repair.

"The size of the hole and the as yet unknown cause means that the closure will have to remain in place over the weekend into Monday."

West Berkshire council issued this statement this evening:

The hole appeared to the west side of Leys Gardens. Strawberry Hill, Leys Gardens and Maplespeen Court can be accessed from Oxford Road.

Twenty-five metres of Old Bath Road has been closed, meaning that Goldwell House and the layby on the north of Old Bath Road can be accessed from the A4.

A spokesperson for Veolia said yesterday: "We are aware of an incident in at Old Bath Road near Strawberry Hill, Newbury where a Veolia vehicle had been trapped, the crew are safe and no one was injured.

"We are working at the scene with the emergency services and West Berkshire Council Highway team, to assess the vehicle following its recovery."