LONDON – A major incident has been declared after a huge sinkhole opened up beneath a canal in Shropshire.
Crews battled through ‘unstable ground and rapidly moving water’ as they began the rescue.
The crews helped rescue more than 10 members of the public.
The canal bank collapsed leaving large volumes of water escaping into the surrounding land.
Residents have been urged to avoid the area, while they respond to the incident.
Fire crews were joined by West Mercia Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service (including HART), the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, local authority emergency planning officers, and National Resilience.
A spokesperson for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘‘Firefighters have been working in challenging conditions with unstable ground and rapidly moving water, crews immediately established upstream and downstream safety sectors and began mitigating water flow using barge boards and water gate systems.’’
Area Manager Scott Hurford added: ‘‘We can confirm no persons are believed to be on board the affected canal boats, and no injuries have been reported.
‘‘Approximately 12 residents from nearby moored boats are being supported and relocated to a welfare centre at the former Whitchurch Police Station.
‘‘A major incident was declared at 5:17am, however, as of 8:30am, the situation was stable with water flow reduced and there is no ongoing search and rescue activity.
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