Collapsed mineshaft causes sinkhole on Yorkshire housing estate

The six-foot deep sinkhole opened up on the Cloughs estate in Hoyland, Barnsley, around ten weeks ago, according to residents – and a covering was placed over it.

Brian Gregory, who is standing in May’s election as a candidate for Reform UK, said he would have expected a “one hour response to an issue like this” raised concerns in early April, when the sinkhole widened.

Mr Gregory, a retired highways engineer, said the sinkhole is in an area where youngsters play, and say he was “shocked” the council’s “appalling response”.

“It’s wholly inadequate,” he added. “It needs to be fully fenced off, signed and guarded.”

Barnsley Council say the authority and the Coal Authority is investigating the sinkhole, which may be down to a collapsed mine shaft, and reassured the public that the area is ‘currently secure’.

Paul Castle, Service Director for Environment and Transport at BMBC said: “We inspected a hole on Shaftesbury Drive in Hoyland, following a report, and installed temporary works to make the area safer.

“The hole has since increased in size and our partners – The Coal Authority and Berneslai Homes – are working collaboratively to investigate the issue.

“The Coal Authority is currently investigating it as a suspected mine shaft collapse. They will need to carry out further ground investigations to confirm if historical coal mining is the cause of this ground collapse.

“We can reassure residents that the site is currently secure and we urge people not to enter the fenced area around the collapse as the ground could be unstable and potentially dangerous.

“If anyone has immediate concerns about the safety of the site, or other potential mining related incidents, they should call the Coal Authority 24-hour Hazard Line on 0800 288 4242.”