Bolton sinkhole left unrepaired for months as investigations delay fix

Now, one resident of Chassen Road, Bolton, has received an update from United Utilities saying the issue will not be fixed until November of this year – more than a year since the problem first appeared.

Residents have also experienced problems with the plastic barricade surrounding the sinkhole, which has been blowing into the road and people’s gardens, leaving the area exposed.

Resident Dominic Parmenter said: “The stuff they put around it is always flying off and blowing away.

“The hole isn’t even completely covered.

“We’ve already had quite a bit of wind and rain this year, so the plastic has been blowing into the street.”

A recent sinkhole on Mytham Road, Little Lever necessitated the digging up of a significant portion of the road (Image: David Meehan)

The problem first appeared on the road around September/October 2025, according to Dominic.

The issue was reported, and around two days later workers from United Utilities came to dig up the road, putting the plastic barricade around the site of the collapse.

But no work took place until Wednesday this week. On Wednesday, United Utilities workers came to investigate the issue on Chassen Road.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “This is a complex issue, and we have carried out extensive investigations.

“The position of the highway gully and a water main means that repairs are required to reposition the infrastructure.

“We are in touch with the highways authority to agree next steps for this – we apologise to residents for the inconvenience.”

An email was erroneously sent to one resident that stated the work would not be completed until November 12, 2026, but it should have read February 12, 2026.

A nearby manhole was checked and found to be flowing as usual and the sewer water was clear with no signs of blockage.

The work has now been passed back over to the Bolton Highways team.