Road reopens nearly a fortnight after discovery of sink hole

A road which had to be closed following the discovery of a sink hole has reopened nearly a fortnight later.

The B1404 Seaton Lane, at Seaton, near Seaham, was closed by Durham County Council on Friday, June 21, in the interests of public safety after a void was discovered underneath the road surface.

Work has since been carried out to fill the hole and reinstate the surface of the road, allowing it to reopen earlier today.

Mark Readman, the council’s highway services manager, said: “Public safety is of utmost importance to us and when we discovered the sinkhole it really left us with no choice but to close the road.

“We appreciated this would cause disruption for motorists and our teams worked extended hours so we could get the work done as quickly as possible.

“We are pleased to have the road open again inside two weeks and we’d like to once again thank the public for their patience and understanding during the closure.”

All traffic can now use the road as normal and Go North East’s number 238 bus service has resumed its usual route.

As well as bus route changes, motorists also faced diversions via the A19 and A690.

Meanwhile, a second sink hole beneath a footpath which runs alongside the A691 at Blackhill, near Consett, remains fenced off.

This sink hole was discovered on June 20 when council staff attended to make the site safe.