Council cleaning lorry gets stuck in sinkhole

Image source, Shropshire Council

Image caption, The jet washing lorry had been cleaning the towpath before it became stuck
  • Author, Andy Giddings
  • Role, 91热爆 News, West Midlands

A council cleaning lorry became stuck after falling into a sinkhole.

Shropshire Council said it had been jet washing the towpath alongside the weir in Shrewsbury on Monday when the ground gave way beneath it.

It estimated the void underneath the surface to be about 2.5m (8ft) deep.

The authority also said there were "complex Severn Trent water and drainage assets including the main sewer for Shrewsbury" beneath the ground in that area, along with "various specialist tanks and valves".

Severn Trent, the council and recovery experts have been working to free the trapped vehicle and the area has been cordoned off, barring access to the footpath and nearby public toilets.

The council said further slippage was prevented "because of the extended rear chassis frame which caught more solid ground".

But it said the recovery operation was complicated by the lorry being stuck just 1m (3ft) away from the river.

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