Girl, 4, in narrow escape after deep hole appears in Billingshurst street

A four-year-old girl had a lucky escape after she nearly plunged into a deep cavity that suddenly appeared in a village pavement.
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Little Kiera Denman was on her way back home from school on Tuesday when she almost fell into the manhole in Daux Way, Billingshurst.

Mum Alice Smith said: “We were just round the corner from home when I suddenly saw the hole and grabbed my daughter by her collar and pulled her back.

“Literally one more step ... It was a scary experience.”

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The deep cavity in Daux Way, Billingshurst fTJGeoH1J0IF8L5lo_4B
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She said Kiera was “a lively little character and it’s hard to keep her holding my hand.

“I caught her in the nick of time.”

Alice immediately posted a message on social media to warn other people about the hazard and a neighbour placed a bin over the cavity.

Meanwhile, Openreach, which is responsible for the manhole, was alerted to the danger.

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Kiera Denman fUZqjMM3pf9KYO5atxTo

“The problem is the road layout,” said Alice. “Lorries come round the corner and go over the pavement.”

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A spokesman for Openreach said: “We’d like to thank the residents of Billingshurst who brought to our attention the damaged manhole cover in Daux Avenue.

“An engineer visited the site last night (Wednesday) and made it safe; we’ll replace the damage lid as quickly as we can.

“Members of the public can report damage to our equipment by choosing the “Damage, Health and Safety” option on our website or by calling 0800 023 2023 (option 1 + option 1).”

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