Sinkhole Danger Grows After Year of Official Buck-Passing
Families in a quiet Worsley neighbourhood are living in fear as a sinkhole on their street grows deeper, more than a year after it first appeared. Residents of Dunmail Close and Semington View have been passed from pillar to post, with no authority willing to accept responsibility for the hazard that blights their daily lives.
A Cavity That Keeps Growing
The hole, approximately one foot deep, emerged in March last year following the collapse of a sewage system beneath the road. While Salford City Council has erected warning signs around the site, it insists that internal repairs are not its responsibility. United Utilities, which manages the broader sewage network in the area, claims the system was never formally adopted due to incomplete paperwork, leaving the liability technically with Bloor Homes, the developer that constructed the estate less than a decade ago.
Bloor Homes did not respond to a request for comment.
In the meantime, residents describe a deeply worrying situation that grows more hazardous by the day.
“It seems to be getting deeper,” one neighbour said. “I'm quite concerned because there are a lot of kids in this area, and you have a lot of cars driving past the sinkhole to get to the cul-de-sac at the end of Semington View. We've also been told the sewers are about five metres below ground. It feels like it's only a matter of time before something bad happens.”
'We Celebrated Its Birthday'
Another resident, living close to the hole on the cul-de-sac, expressed the community's frustration at the institutional failure to act.
“No one wants to take responsibility. It's been there so long, we literally celebrated a birthday for it a couple months ago. The council at one stage even suggested the residents on the cul-de-sac foot the bill for the repairs. But it's not like we had any role in building it ten years ago. It seems very unfair.”
The suggestion that homeowners should bear the cost of repairing infrastructure they neither built nor maintain strikes at the heart of the British sense of fair play. When private firms and public bodies alike evade accountability, it is ordinary, law-abiding citizens who are left to shoulder the consequences.
MP Demands Action Before Tragedy Strikes
Local MP Yasmin Qureshi has intervened, demanding a meeting between Bloor Homes, Salford City Council and United Utilities to establish a clear timescale for fixing the issue at no cost to residents.
“Residents on Dunmail Close, Semington View and the surrounding streets are right to be angry. This sinkhole has blighted their lives for over a year, with no resolution in sight and no organisation willing to take responsibility for fixing it.”
Qureshi emphasised the gravity of the situation, warning of near misses involving vehicles and ongoing risk to pedestrians. Residents have reported their fences being struck multiple times by cars swerving to avoid the cavity.
“This is not just about who is liable. It is a matter of public safety. The sinkhole sits on a bend in a public road. I am urging all four parties to come together and resolve this now, before further damage is caused or someone is seriously hurt.”
Council and Water Company Respond
A spokesperson for Salford City Council stated that investigations established the underlying problem relates to a collapsed sewer serving a small number of properties. The Council does not own or maintain private sewer infrastructure.
“Officers have continued to support affected residents, actively engaging with United Utilities, the developer and other relevant parties to secure a permanent solution. Public safety remains our priority, and we continue to monitor the location to ensure any immediate risks are managed.”
United Utilities, for its part, maintained that the impacted sewer line remains under private ownership and is not part of its network, though it has offered support to residents on next steps available to them.
A Failure of Duty
As the sinkhole continues to deepen and the British summer brings further rain to soften the ground beneath, the risk of a more serious collapse cannot be ignored. The buck-passing between council, water company and developer represents a troubling failure of the very systems designed to protect the public. When paperwork and liability disputes take precedence over public safety, it is time for those in authority to remember their duty. In a nation that has long prided itself on pragmatism and getting things done, this sorry state of affairs is simply not good enough. The problem must be fixed before tragedy forces their hand.