Sinkhole disrupts electricity supply in Sunderland street as Northern Powergrid pledges repairs 'as quickly as we can'

A cordon in place in Broomshields Avenue, Sunderland.

Dozens of homes near to the city’s Broomshields Avenue have been powered by a generator after subsidence led to a property in the street falling a foot into the ground in August this year.

A semi-detached property in the street has been left with damage to the front and back, with the driveway and wall sunken well below street level.

The road was cordoned off for a period of time while the property was made safe, and residents living nearby were evacuated by the emergency services so such work could take place.

Properties on Broomshields Avenue in Sunderland that have been affected by subsidence.

Due to the sinkhole in the street, the electricity cable supplying the power to homes had to be disconnected, and a generator is being used to power the street.

Water and gas supplies were also affected immediately following the incident.

A Northern Powergrid spokesperson confirmed to the Echo on Monday, October 7 that around 40 residents in SR5 postcode area of Sunderland were currently being powered by a generator, with some “technical issues” affecting their homes in recent weeks.

One of its officers will visit Broomshields Avenue on Monday to answer questions from families – but added that they do not expect any further disruption for those living in the affected properties.

The subsidence incident happened in August 2019.

They added: "We're making arrangements to have a replacement cable fitted along a new route; however this will take some time as we need to arrange the necessary agreements with landowners, with discussions ongoing.”

"A generator was brought to site to restore power to homes and regrettably we have had some technical issues with the unit, which have now been resolved. We're not expecting any further disruption to residents.”

"Our Customer Support Vehicle and our Customer Liaison Officer will be on site on Monday afternoon (October 7) from 3pm until 6pm to provide information and answer any questions from local residents."

"We would like to thank everyone affected by the recent issues and reassure them that we will do everything possible to replace the electricity cable as quickly as we can."