Sinkhole closes busy city road in both directions

A main road into a city centre has been closed in both directions after a sinkhole opened up.

Cambridgeshire Police said officers were called to Milton Road in Cambridge at 15:39 BST on Monday.

Cambridgeshire County Council said the road was closed between Mitchams Corner and the Elizabeth Way roundabout in both directions. Highways teams are working to investigate the cause.

The road recently underwent a multimillion-pound redevelopment which featured pedestrian crossings and a dedicated cycle lane.

People are advised to check before travelling.

A spokesperson for the council said: "The road will be repaired as quickly as possible and reopened as soon as it is safe to do so."

It is understood Anglian Water recently undertook work in the area. The BBC has contacted them for comment.

The £31.9m scheme to update the road was managed by the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership (GCP).

"We completed our Milton Road upgrade project in 2024," a GCP spokesperson said.

"Once complete, the scheme was handed over to Cambridgeshire County Council to manage and maintain."

Delowar Hossain, a Conservative councillor at Cambridge City Council, said: "I got a phone call yesterday and someone told me there was a big hole."

He said he estimated the sinkhole went "down about two or three metres".

He added that he asked contractors to "close the road properly for safety".

Sarah Payne, 83, who lives on Milton Road, said the sinkhole was "a bit of a shock".

"Millions of pounds were spent on the upgrade and there has been a whole lot less traffic actually," she said.

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