Sinkhole outside chip shop has 'cut trade in half' - owner

The Annan Road is usually one of the busiest routes into and out of Dumfries, taking traffic to and from the town's bypass.

However, it has been eerily quiet since the sudden appearance of a sinkhole and resultant closure of the road more than a week ago.

Scottish Water started emergency repairs after a "void opened beneath the carriageway" on 28 May but said it was still too early to say how long they would take.

For Rudi Miroli, who has been in the Noblehill Cafe for more than 40 years, the impact on his business which is right next to the sinkhole has been dramatic - and with no definite end in sight.

The full scale of the work needing to be done is slowly starting to emerge following the initial closure.

Scottish Water said the damaged sewer was about 4m (13ft) underground so it needed the full width of the road to work in.

A ladder can be seen leading down a large, square hole in the carriageway with vehicles parked around a wider fenced-off area.

Miroli now faces an anxious wait to see exactly how long it will take to resolve the issues and restore his passing trade.

"I spoke to the guys doing the job a couple of days ago and they still hadn't dug down deep enough to fully assess it but they're talking three weeks and possibly longer," he said.

"The road is closed coming from the town centre to our shop.

"What is normally a busy road is now a very quiet road so obviously the footfall's greatly reduced."

He said they were monitoring the situation daily.

"We're over 50% down in turnover, which is understandable, but really appreciate a lot of our customers who have shown tremendous loyalty and made the effort to come," he said.

However, Miroli said they had had "very little information" about what was happening.

"It's very frustrating because obviously we really don't know how much stuff to order, how much stuff to put on," he said.

"It's worrying at this moment in time.

"I'm sure things will be fine once it's all done, but how long is that going to be?"

Scottish Water said the works could only be carried out safely with a full road closure.

However, it said it understood the importance of the Annan Road to the town.

"We appreciate this is a key route for people in Dumfries and everything will be done to minimise any disruption and to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible," it said.

"It is too early to say how long the road closure will be in place, but we will have a better idea once the damaged sewer has been exposed and surveyed.

"We would like to thank everyone affected for their patience and understanding."

Footpaths remain open and diversions have been put in place while contractor Clancy carries out the work.

Local shopkeepers can only watch and wait and see how long it will take before the restrictions are lifted.