Norwich: Sinkhole still causing Plumstead Road problems

The sinkhole which appeared in Plumstead Road flooded during heavy rain last week at the traffic light crossing and was forcing people to walk into the busy main road nearby.

Folk and businesses in the area have had their say on how to fix the issue, outside the Aldi supermarket near the Heartsease roundabout. 

The filthy water has built up in a footpath along Plumstead Road (Image: Susan Donovan)

John Dann lives in Borrowdale Drive and walks along Plumstead Road every day to get his shopping.

The 73-year-old believes a wall is to blame, saying: "The landlord of the shops built a new wall more than a year ago but they didn't restore the drain through pipe.

"The old wall had one for more than 30 years where the water drained away into the drainage system behind it.

John Dann, 73, lives in Borrowdale Drive and walks along Plumstead Road every day (Image: John Dann)

"But without the pipe going through the water can't go anywhere.

"To stop the path sinking again, all it needs is for a drainage hole drilled through the wall - it's about two hours' work."

Indrit Seidaj, owner of Café 193 in Plumstead Road, added that while there used to be a drain pipe in the wall "it would get clogged up a lot".

He added: "The path is sinking because of the soft surface it was built on.

The filthy water is forcing everyone to step into the busy road (Image: John Dann)

"The easiest thing would be to build the path back up so the water can go into the road as there's a gully it'll flow into before reaching the drains."

Mr Dann first reported the problem to the council in February 2022 voicing his concerns but said: "They don't seem concerned in any way about the hazard this problem has caused."

Norfolk County Council said they are "aware of the drainage issue and work is under way to find an effective solution."