Rillington residents 'shocked' by huge A64 sinkhole as closure causes 'traffic chaos' and speeding incidents

Officials announced that the A64 between Scarborough and Malton will remain closed until later this week after a burst water main caused a large section of the road to collapse.

Chris Dale, a Rillington resident, said: "It was unbelievable. When you first saw it, it just sunk down about 18 inches. You wouldn't want to hit it with a car!

"It won't be good for the pub; it has only just reopened. The residents around here won't like it because all the heavy traffic is going down the side street."

The burst prompted the closure after a large sinkhole emerged and began filling with water at the crossroad in Rillington, outside the Coach and Horses pub, at around 3.45pm on Sunday July 31.

Annabelle Fall, Shop Assistant at Rillington Village Stores, said: "It's proven to be a bit chaotic really. They've diverted all traffic down High Street and people park down here. People are quite worried because of the big artic lorries coming down here, and the Coastliner bus.

"It's shocking really. We got caught up in traffic yesterday, but we had no idea it was to that scale or that deep.

"We don't need it in Rillington really. This stretch of road isn't the best anyway, and it's the school holidays.

"There's a lot of children who live on the estate where the traffic is being diverted and their parents just aren't letting them out because it’s too dangerous with cars whizzing round far too fast."

Yorkshire Water said the burst main has now been repaired, but it has caused "significant damage" to the road.

Janet Sanderson, North Yorkshire County Councillor for Thornton Dale and Wolds division, which includes Rillington, said she was "shocked to see the extent of the damage" and that the disruption "will be a major inconvenience to residents and communities".

She said: "There will also be a knock-on effect for our smaller surrounding villages as traffic is diverted to alternative routes. I have already received reports about speeding and frustrated drivers trying to make up for delays."

Cllr Sanderson urged residents to report any further incidents to North Yorkshire Police.

"I feel very sorry for the impact on businesses, however, it was heartening to see reports from The Coach and Horses pulling together as this emergency situation unfolded yesterday," Cllr Sanderson said.

Anni Wilson, a Rillington resident, said: "It's 50 years too late for a bypass. The foundations weren't good enough, apparently, so I think it's time for a bypass for this village.

"The amount of heavy traffic that goes through here, it's bound to have an effect and cause undermining subsidence. They're lucky that the structure of The Coach and Horses haven't been affected."

National Highways said the A64 remains closed eastbound between the A169 at Malton and the B1429 at Willerby and westbound between the B1429 and B1428 at Scagglethorpe.

The authority said it expects to finish the emergency repairs and reopen the road from 6am on Wednesday August 3.