Sinkhole appears in Worthing; temporary traffic lights installed

Sussex Police responded to a report of a sinkhole in Mill Road, Worthing around 8.20pm on Thursday (October 17).

West Sussex Highways issued a statement on social media on Friday morning.

A post on X read: “Our out of hours gang have been on site and put barriers in place. Waiting for temporary lights to be placed while we continue investigations.”

The county council provided a statement to this newspaper at 1.30pm.

A spokesperson said: “We are aware of a sinkhole that appeared yesterday evening on Mill Road in Worthing.

“Our engineers have attended the site and have put two-way traffic signals in place to manage traffic safely. Officers assessed the situation today and have requested a number of utility providers attend the site to rule out any potential leakages.

"If a leak is confirmed, the site will be handed over to the relevant utility company to resolve the underlying issue and reinstate the road.

"If no leak is detected, West Sussex Highways will proceed with further investigation and once concluded reinstate the road.

“We will provide further updates once we have more information following the inspection.

"In the meantime, we ask the public to follow the temporary traffic measures in place and thank residents for their patience as we work to resolve this issue.”

In an update on Monday afternoon (October 21), West Sussex Highways said: “Works continue and we hope to reinstate the carriageway and remove two way traffic lights, hopefully in the early part of this week.”

What causes sinkholes?

According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), areas ‘prone to sinkhole formation occur throughout the UK’ – although ‘most are relatively small or are in upland rural locations’.

"They include areas underlain by Carboniferous limestones, notably the Mendips, parts of Wales, the Peak District, and the northern Pennines including the Yorkshire Dales,” a website post read.

There are ‘several different types’ of sinkhole – also known as dolines – caused by different processes, including dissolution, collapse and erosion.

A BGS website post read: “Several things can trigger sinkholes. Whilst the process of gradual dissolution can cause a sinkhole to form at the surface, other factors, including humans, can induce sinkholes to form.

“Heavy rain or surface flooding can initiate the collapse of normally stable cavities, especially those developed within superficial deposits.

"Leaking drainage pipes, burst water mains, irrigation or even the act of emptying a swimming pool are all documented examples of sinkhole triggers.”