Experts are left baffled as giant 30ft-wide and 9ft deep sinkhole crater opens just feet from busy road
- The sinkhole was spotted by walkers near a busy road leading to a house estate
- A coal authority spokesman said they responded after an alert from the council
Experts are baffled by a giant 30ft-wide sinkhole crater in South Wales, with some fearing that it could be the result of old mining works or even a UFO landing.
Aerial footage of the sinkhole shows the giant crater filled with murky stagnant water, surrounded by dry weeds.
The 9-ft-deep hole was spotted by walkers yard from the busy road leading to a house estate more than a month ago.
Council officials in Caerphilly, South Wales, were called in to look into it.
Locals believed the ground opened up due to old mine workings – but officials say the cause is still being investigated.
A coal authority spokesman said they responded after being notified by the council.
He added: ‘To keep people safe, we fenced the area and stabilised the ground with stone while we carry out further investigations.
‘If this incident was caused due to historical coal mine workings, we will design a permanent solution and carry out repair works as soon as we can.’
Local social media groups were stunned at the size of the hole and initially feared it was a meteor strike or UFO landing.
One said: ‘Have we had an alien invasion? Dr Who were filming nearby and I think a Cybermen attack is on the way.’
Another said: ‘Watch out for little green men – and I don’t mean the council rubbish collectors.’
Another added: ‘I reckon there will be many more to come when you think of them digging for miles from pit- it’s the heavy rain, it’s shifting the ground.’
One more said: ‘The village used to be a coal mining village. It’s all just a matter of time.’
Janet Evans, 60, who works in dam safety for utilities firm Welsh Water saw the hole while walking her dog and estimated the hole was ’30 feet wide by six to 10 feet deep.’
She said: ‘This is rather unusual because there is no water source up there.. I looked over the brambles and lo and behold, there was a sinkhole.
‘Judging by the look of the soil, it happened overnight. Part of my training is in soil erosion, where we learn about how the water can creep through the earth and cause erosion, so I knew what it was when I saw it.
‘This wasn’t just a pothole, this was a gigantic crater.’
Locals believed the ground opened up due to old mine workings – but officials say the cause is still being investigated
The 9-ft-deep hole was spotted by walkers yard from the busy road leading to a house estate more than a month ago
Local social media groups were stunned at the size of the hole and initially feared it was a meteor strike or UFO landing
Walker Penfold Brindle was amazed at the crater-like hole on common land near Graig-y-Rhacca housing estate in Caerphilly and took photos.
He said: ‘It was absolutely huge – it is a good job it wasn’t a few yards away under the road. It would have swallowed any car which went into it.
‘Something needs to be done to fix hit. They have put a fence around it and a few cones.’
A spokesperson for Caerphilly Council said: ‘Our officers have been liaising with the Coal Authority as it falls under their responsibility.’
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