Wednesbury sinkhole causing chaos for pub's trade
A busy Wednesbury road has been closed for almost two weeks after a four-metre deep sinkhole appeared.
Half of Franchise Street has been closed since the sinkhole appeared, with buses diverted and footpath closures outside houses.
Pub owners Jed and Richard Baker, from The Cottage Spring, in Franchise Street, say the hole has led to fewer customers coming through the door. They believe the hole is the result of a collapsed storm drain and plunges to around four metres in depth.
They say the wait to get it sorted has been 'ridiculous', as confusion has surrounded who is responsible for it. The hole appeared the end of January just outside the pub car park.
Mrs Baker, aged 63, who has been landlady for just over five years, said: "We didn't have a clue how it got there.
"The day it happened the council came out and thought it was a pit so they sent the coal board out. But then they discovered it was nothing to do with them but it was the drains instead. There's been so much confusion about what service deals with it."
Mrs Baker added: "It has affected us badly. It killed trade the first week because we had to close the car park completely. Even our deliveries are having to be rolled from the other side of the road. It is just ridiculous."
A spokesperson from Walsall Council said: "Further camera surveys are being undertaken. We will continue to work with Severn Trent Water to identify the cause."
