Huge 60ft-deep sinkhole opens up in quiet residential cul-de-sac

Around 30 homes on the estate have been evacuated after the sinkhole opened up in Pant in Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday

The hole on the housing estate (@MerthyrCBC/X)

People in a residential estate were left horrified when a big hole opened up in the street outside their homes.

Residents of Nant Morlais, in Pant, Merthyr Tydfil fear they could lose their homes as a result of the large sinkhole that opened up on Sunday.

Around 30 homes on the estate had to be evacuated and the cul-de-sac closed after the hole in the road and pavement appeared.

The cause of the sinkhole has not been confirmed, but a local councillor told the BBC that it was believed a culvert - a structure that allows water to flow under roads - had collapsed, creating the giant hole.

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council took to social media to alert residents and wrote: “Council officers and police have been onsite at Nant Morlais, Pant all morning working with other agencies at the site of a sinkhole.

“No further help or support is needed at this time but thank you to everyone who has offered it. Safety is our main priority.

“To allow engineers to keep working safely, please stay away from the area.”

Local resident Stephen Regan, 55, told the BBC that he feared he could lose his home, which is positioned right next to the sinkhole.

“It was very scary, you could hear it rumbling and collapsing when it was happening,” he said.

“I just want to get back in the house but we don’t know what the situation is at the moment. My fear is my house could go... I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

He estimated the hole was up to 60ft deep, adding: “The culvert has collapsed and water has just washed it all away. It’s an older generation on this street so they are scared.”