Sinkhole repair work begins after storm

Work to repair a sinkhole on a major route between two villages has begun.

The A361 between Wardington in Oxfordshire and Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire has been closed since 06:00 GMT on Monday.

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) said work to repair the carriageway, which started on Thursday, could be finished by "the end of the month".

The authority did warn that the time frame of repairs depended on "what is found once water is pumped out and excavation work starts".

Councillor Andrew Gant, OCC's head of transport, said: "This is an extremely busy road which is why we have made it a priority to have a repair programme in place within days.

"We will reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so."

"We hope this will be by the end of December but, unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to work of this nature."

The sinkhole is believed to have been caused by recent flooding of the nearby River Cherwell which submerged a culvert - a brick water pipe - running under the road.

Water will need to be pumped out to enable the culvert to be inspected before the full extent of required repairs can be determined, the council said.

Mr Gant said the sinkhole was a "pretty stark example of the kind of pressure our large and rural road network is experiencing from extreme weather".

OCC has suggested an alternative route from the A423 Southam Rd to A425 Daventry Road, which is about 27 miles (43km), whilst the A361 remains closed.

Local residents previously told the BBC they were being "cut out" due to the road closure.

Mark Chivers, who is disabled, said those without any transport "are really quite stuck".

The Wardington resident added: "It's just not possible for all of us to do online food shopping or have people around here to help out."

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