It appears to be getting deeper, according to residents.
Residents in Worsley ‘celebrated the birthday’ of a sink hole on their street after waiting more than a year for it to be fixed.
Neighbours on Dunmail Close and Semington View say they’ve been ‘passed from pillar to post as no one wants to take accountability’ for the approximately one foot deep road hazard. The hole first appeared in March last year, after a sewage system under the road collapsed.
While the council have put up warning signs around the cavity, it says the internal repairs are not the council’s responsibility. However, United Utilities, which tends to manage to sewage system in the area, claims that due to uncompleted paperwork, the sewage system was never adopted by the water company, and is technically the responsibility of Bloor Homes. The housing firm first constructed the housing estate just less than ten years ago.
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Bloor Homes did not respond to a request for comment.
In the meantime, residents say they’ve been left with a ‘very worrying’ problem.
“It seems to be getting deeper,” one neighbour, who didn’t wish to be named, said. “I’m quite concerned because there are a lot of kids in this area, and you have a lot of cars driving past the sink hole to get to the cul-de-sac at the end of Semington View. We’ve also been told the sewers are about five metres below ground… It feels like it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.”
Another resident, who also did not wish to be named, but lives very close to the hole on the cul-de-sac, added: “No one wants to take responsibility. It’s been there so long, we literally celebrated a birthday for it a couple months ago. The council at one stage even suggested the residents on the cul-de-sac foot the bill for the repairs – but it’s not like we had any role in building it ten years ago. It seems very unfair.”
Local MP Yasmin Qureshi has also become involved in the issue, stating: “Residents on Dunmail Close, Semington View and the surrounding streets are right to be angry. This sinkhole has blighted their lives for over a year, with no resolution in sight and no organisation willing to take responsibility for fixing it.”
The MP has demanded a meeting between Bloor Homes, Salford City Council and United Utilities to a come up with a ‘clear timescale for fixing this issue at no cost to residents’.
“So far, only United Utilities have responded, and they insist it is not their responsibility as the sewers remain unadopted.
“This is not just about who is liable. It is a matter of public safety. The sinkhole sits on a bend in a public road, with reported near misses involving vehicles and ongoing risk to pedestrians, and residents have told me their fences have been struck multiple times.
“I am urging all four parties to come together and resolve this now, before further damage is caused or someone is seriously hurt.”
A spokesperson for Salford City Council say they have taken steps to secure the area, adding: “Investigations established that the underlying problem relates to a collapsed sewer serving a small number of properties. The Council does not own or maintain private sewer infrastructure and officers have continued to support affected residents, actively engaging with United Utilities, the developer and other relevant parties to secure a permanent solution.
“Public safety remains our priority, and we continue to monitor the location to ensure any immediate risks are managed.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “The impacted sewer line on this estate remains under private ownership and is not part of our network.
“We have offered our support to residents on the next steps available to them.”

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