A water leak caused by “ageing infrastructure” has been blamed for a massive sinkhole outside Watford General Hospital.
The cavity first appeared as a hole in the road outside the hospital's main entrance at around 2.30pm on Sunday, August 22, but by 4pm it was evident it was beneath most of the road.
Traffic is being diverted but the hospital is urging anyone needing to attend to do so.
In spite of road subsidence near the main hospital entrance at Watford General, all services are running as normal.
— West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS (@WestHertsNHS) August 22, 2022
Patients should still attend appointments and there is no impact on emergency ambulances.
All visitors should access our car parks via Thomas Sawyer Way.
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital in Vicarage Road, has identified the cause as a water leak caused by “ageing infrastructure”.
The trust has yet to answer a question from the Watford Observer about the size of the hole.
Hospital visitors Kirrily and Lucy Spires yesterday (Sunday) said that when they went into the hospital at around 2.30pm there was a hole in the road by the main entrance, but when they left at around 4pm had left the road between the main entrance and dermatology unit uneven.
Joshua Zachariah Ellis said on Facebook: "The entire roadway is undermined all the way down the hill."
According to the trust, services are still “running as normal” and there is no impact on emergency ambulances arriving.
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Security teams are however working to divert traffic to access the car parks through the entrance off Thomas Sawyer Way.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “Our estates and security teams are working hard to resolve this and we will issue further updates when available.”
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