Sinkhole repairs on busy road to Banbury expected to be 'completed by the end of the month'

The council’s contractors will start work repairing the sinkhole just north of Wardington today (December 5).

Following visits to the site by inspectors, the council hopes to be able to reopen the road by the end of December.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport management, 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. In the meantime, we would urge motorists to follow the diversion routes that are in place to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Currently, people travelling to Daventry from Banbury are advised to follow a diversion route using the A423 Southam Road and the A425 Daventry Road.

The council believes the sinkhole appeared on Monday morning as a result of the recent flooding of the River Cherwell.

It is thought the extra rainwater caused a washout of fill to affect a brick water pipe that is running underneath the road.

Oxfordshire County Council reported that the most recent inspection of the culvert, before the flooding, showed the culvert was not in a concerning condition.

However, the washed-out material from the floods is thought to have blocked the watercourse and submerged the culvert.

The council’s teams will now need to pump water out of the culvert for it to be inspected so they can determine the full extent of required repairs.

This may result in the culvert needing to be temporarily replaced by a pipe so the sinkhole can be backfilled and the road reopened while a longer-term repair is planned.

Cllr Gant added: “This is a pretty stark example of the kind of pressure our large and rural road network is experiencing from extreme weather. I am very grateful to our officers and contractors for getting out on site as soon as possible to put a plan in place for mitigation and repair.”