An investigation is under way into what caused a metre-deep sinkhole to appear in a Broughty Ferry street.
The hole was discovered in Castleroy Road by a Broughty Ferry resident on Wednesday, who said he fears more of the road could collapse unless repairs are undertaken quickly.
Although the diameter of the hole is small, it is more than a metre deep.
The resident said: “I was out for a walk and this hole in the middle of the road just happened to catch my eye.
“It didn’t look much at first glance – the opening is not much bigger than an orange – but I was intrigued enough to look a bit further and it was obvious there was quite a void below.
“I found a long stick to check how deep the hole was and was astonished when it completely disappeared below the road surface.
“I measured the stick afterwards and it was more than a metre in length but it hadn’t touched the bottom. There was also loads of wriggle room in the void so it is obviously quite a big space.
“The fact there are cars driving over the top of it – not to mention all the people that walk past there every day – is pretty scary. It looks as though it could give way at any time and someone could be hurt if it isn’t repaired soon.”
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said repairs would be carried out on the road as soon as possible. An orange fence has already been put up around the hole.
He said: “We will be investigating this and making the necessary repairs.”
Sinkholes are holes in the ground that are normally formed when the earth underneath the surface dissolves. Although this can occur naturally, sinkholes can also be created by liquid from leaking pipes or sewers.
While the Broughty Ferry sinkhole is relatively small, some can be big enough to swallow cars and even buildings.
Sinkholes are rare in Scotland but three homes had to be evacuated in Plains, Lanarkshire, last year after a massive one appeared in one of the town’s streets in 2016. The massive hole was around 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep.
