Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill sinkholes - 'We’ve seen slight increase in reports over year,' says county council

There has been a spate of them across Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill, with some residents fearing they will increase with the harsh winter weather.

Concerns have also been voiced about the impact on the foundations of homes nearby.

The most recent sinkholes have been reported in Southwater Road, St Leonards, and Frederick Road, Hastings.

There have been others in St Thomas' Road, Hastings, and St Leonards Road, Bexhill.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The number of sinkholes reported in East Sussex varies month to month, but we have seen a slight increase in reports over the past 12 months."

They added: "There can be many reasons for voids beneath the road surface including poor utility reinstatements, apparatus issues and natural causes, and each report needs to be properly investigated to identify the cause and the work that needs to be carried out to address it."

Some people have questioned why repairs can take a prolonged period of time.

The spokesperson added: " Investigations often involve other organisations, such as water companies, and the time taken to repair a sinkhole depends largely on the cause.

"The safety of road users is a priority so we may carry out temporary repairs or cordon off areas while we wait for investigations to be completed."

When asked what the council was doing to prevent sinkholes, the spokesperson said: "Whilst we regularly survey the condition of roads across East Sussex, we cannot confirm voids, their extent or cause without digging up the road making them extremely difficult to prevent.”