A major incident has been declared after a huge 50 metre ‘sinkhole’ swallowed a canal in Shropshire, with boats caught up in the terrifying incident. Dramatic images reveal a large breach in the canal in Whitchurch’s Chemistry area.
At around 4.22am, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received reports of a canal bank collapse with large volumes of water escaping into surrounding land. Three boats had been caught in the developing sinkhole approximately 50 metres by 50 metres in size. Crews battled through ‘unstable ground and rapidly moving water’ as they began the rescued and helped more than 10 members of the public to safety.
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There are no reports of casualties and crews are urging the public to avoid the area.
The fire service immediately established upstream and downstream safety sectors and began mitigating water flow using barge boards and water gate systems.
Also at the scene is the West Mercia Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service (including HART), the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, local authority emergency planning officers and National Resilience.
