A DEEP void under Lynn Road, Wisbech, that was caused by water leaking from a sewer pipe will take around 250 tonnes of material to fill. Work has already started on filling the hole which stretched around nine metres under the road and was around five me

A DEEP void under Lynn Road, Wisbech, that was caused by water leaking from a sewer pipe will take around 250 tonnes of material to fill.

Work has already started on filling the hole which stretched around nine metres under the road and was around five metres deep by around four metres wide.

It is hoped the road should be re-open to traffic on Friday after the work, by Anglian Water, is carried out.

The road was closed after the void was discovered and Cambridgeshire County Council has been working closely with Anglian Water to excavate the void and find the cause of the problem.

Due to the size and nature of the hole, which extended under the surface of the road, work had to be carried out very carefully to avoid further collapse. It also will require the rebuilding of a traffic island.

Andy Chatfield, Operations and Network Co-Ordination Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "Anglian Water and the County Council have been working hard together to find the cause of this hole and solve the problem as soon as possible. We are pleased we have tracked down and fixed the pipe but now we are in the process of filling the hole and re-opening the road.

"The large amount of material needed to refill the void shows just how big a problem this has been. Due to the difficult nature of working in these potentially dangerous circumstances we have to be very careful but it has always been a top priority to re-open this road as soon as possible. If all goes to plan the road should be re-opened on Friday."

Councillor Mac McGuire, Cabinet Member for Highways and Access and Deputy Leader, said: "This is a very busy road in the heart of Wisbech and we wanted to finish this work as soon as possible and open it to the public.

" Keeping Cambridgeshire moving is key priority for the Council and we work hard with our partners to carry out works as quickly and effectively as possible.