Watford hospital sinkhole road to stay shut until spring

A road close to the main entrance of a hospital where a sinkhole opened up is due to remain closed until the spring.

The subsidence, caused by an underground leak from a mains water pipe, appeared outside Watford General Hospital on Vicarage Road on 21 August.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WHTHT) said the leak had been fixed, but "significant underground damage" needed repair.

It said there was "no risk to the adjacent buildings or roads".

The hole, which was about 2m x 1m (6.5ft x 3.2ft) with a depth of 0.5m (1.6ft), opened up in front of the Princess Michael of Kent (PMOK) building.

In a statement, the trust said the hole had been backfilled and there was no sign of further subsidence. However, it said it would be a "long and painstaking process to restore the road", as investigations were needed to prevent further damage.

Diversions remain in place around the site, and patients and visitors can continue to access the hospital via Thomas Sawyer Way.

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