30ft sinkhole in Newcastle exposes old mine workings

The sinkhole was reported to the police by a local resident. Credit: PA

A 30ft deep sinkhole has appeared a residential street in Newcastle.

The sinkhole appeared next to residential garages in Craster Square in Gosforth at around 10.50am this morning.

The huge crater appeared on the site of an old shaft connected to formermine workings that belong to the National Coal Board (NCB).

Nobody was injured when the hole became visible, despite it reachingfrom the edge of one property's drive to another.

The spokesman from Newcastle City Council said the National Coal Board had been contacted, and their Emergency Response Team was attending the scene along with police, fire crews and council structural engineers.