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Water company confirms sinkhole repair timeline

Julia Gregory/BBC Pipes and fences are seen along West Street in Dorking which is lined with shopsJulia Gregory/BBC
West Street in Dorking has been closed to cars since the sinkhole was discovered

Thames Water said it expects the "complex" repair of a sink hole in Dorking to take about a week, with road closures due to be in place until after that time.

The sinkhole first appeared in West Street on 30 August, when the road was closed to traffic.

Work began to repair the damaged surface water pipe on Thursday, the utility said.

Surrey County Council, which is responsible for the roads, previously said the failure of a surface water line, which caused the issue, stretched for about 50m (160ft).

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We anticipate that repair work will take around a week to complete, with our teams then remaining on site to reinstate the road.

"During this time a road closure and traffic management measures will remain in place, so that our engineers can safely carry out the repair.

"We are sorry to residents, businesses and motorists who are impacted by these emergency works."

Julia Gregory/BBC A sign which reads West Street is open for business and encourages people to continue visiting shops cafes and pubs on foot while the road is closed to carsJulia Gregory/BBC
Businesses are concerned about the impact on passing trade

Traders in the town had raised concerns about the impact the road closure would have on business, particularly on passing trade.

Paul Harman, who runs Harmans interiors shop, said the road closure had caused "carnage".

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