Large hole appears in path

Town councillor Anthony Brand believed the hole suddenly appeared over the weekend, saying: “We discovered it on Saturday afternoon. It looks like it may have been an old opening to an underground cellar, and so is potentially deep.”

The crust of asphalt has caved into the void beneath outside the Lucky Star Chinese takeaway.

Coun Brand said: “Westgate is not well lit at night and this could have been very dangerous after midnight when there are no lights in Westgate.”

He reported it to Town Clerk Kevin Martin on Saturday afternoon who got one of his operatives who lives nearby to place a barrier around the hole to alert members of the public, and county highways staff added cones later.

Coun Brand said: “My sense is that in the distant past the opening was closed off and covered with asphalt, and over the years the supporting material has decayed hence the collapse.”

A local highways manager said: “It’s the responsibility of the owner to make the necessary repairs, but we will be monitoring the situation, and will act if they are not carried out in a reasonable timescale.”