Sinkhole cause finally revealed
WELSH Water has finally revealed the cause of a sinkhole which has closed a Carmarthen town centre road for the past month.
The hole emerged in the middle of the road in Woods Row during the early hours of December 29.
Since then Woods Row has been closed with diversions in place, but the hole has still not been repaired.
Businesses and residents in the street have been feeling the effects of the road closure and have been calling for answers from Welsh Water over the cause of the sinkhole and how long it will take to repair and reopen the road.
Now Welsh Water has given details and said the sinkhole has been caused by a collapsed Victorian brick sewer, but admitted it is a complex job to fix.
In a statement, the utilities company said: “Welsh Water has completed its investigation and determined that there has been a collapse on an old Victorian brick sewer.
“Due to the severity of the collapse, complexity of the system and nearby water main, our contractors are unable to carry out an immediate repair.
“Our design team and contractors are currently on site investigating other options so that we can complete the repair as soon as possible.
Adding: “For the safety of motorists and pedestrians, the road needs to remain closed until the repair is made.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers and thank them for their patience.
“We have informed nearby customers and will keep them updated.”
Bosses at the Woods Row based Free Books Carmarthen said the ongoing road closure is causing not as many customers dropping off or picking up books as usual.
Liz Gilligan at the shop said: “I keep being told someone from Welsh Water will call me to give an update but they never do, and we are still no closer to knowing when the sinkhole will be fixed, or when the road will be reopened.
“The road diversion in place does allow cars to reach us by going the wrong way up Little Water Street, which is normally one way, but the closure is definitely putting customers off. It’s been frustrating having no answers or timescale about what is being done.”