A LARGE crater has opened up in Holmes Chapel after a drain collapsed and was left unattended for almost a week.

Residents on St Andrew’s Drive first noticed the problem on Wednesday after driving over a small bump at the Balmoral Drive junction, but since then the road has collapsed and now people in the surrounding cul-de-sacs face being blocked from their houses.

Cheshire East Council and Cheshire Police have both attended the scene, with Cheshire East Highways providing a temporary barrier to protect drivers and pedestrians.

Joanne Jackson, a resident on St Andrew’s Drive, said: “We first noticed the problem on Wednesday because we drove over it, but we thought there was nothing unusual going on.

“My son goes to work really early on Saturday morning. He messaged me saying ‘my car’s nearly fallen down a hole.’

“Now there’s a hole about 1.5 metres squared but if you look underneath, the tarmac is being held up by thin air.

“It is definitely going to have an impact on us living here. There must be about 30 houses in the cul-de-sacs nearby and I don’t know what they will do about getting to their homes.

“It’s a bit scary really. At first you think what about our houses? But they think it’s just the drains. Hopefully we won’t have that worry.”

Worried residents have contacted Cheshire East Council and the police and also posted their concerns to a private community facebook group.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “A member of the public contacted us at around 12.15pm on October 5 reporting that a hole had appeared on Balmoral Drive.

“A cordon had been put around the hole but concerns that the hole might get bigger. We contacted Cheshire East Highways who were already aware of the problem.”

Cheshire East Highways has alerted United Utilities and asked them to attend to the drain as soon as possible.