Reported in the news last Friday, a large hole opened up in the road in Mancunian Way, Manchester last Friday (14th August 2015).
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-33929490
The hole is stated to be up to 12m deep and 4.5 m wide, although it has grown in size over the weekend. The hole opened up following a period of heavy rain. Collapse of a sewer pipe has been quoted as a possible cause although the Highways Agency, Manchester City Council and utility companies are still investigating. Repairs could take over 2 weeks to complete because there are stability concerns about the area around the hole, which is making it difficult to safely investigate the feature.
Sewer or culvert collapses are one cause of sink holes. The collapse of the pipe / culvert allows soil over and around the structure undermining the road surface which eventually collapses. Over time the hole can progressively enlarge until the pipe / culvert is repaired and the hole backfilled.
If the cause is a broken sewer / culvert then following repairs it is likely that the hole will be filled up with concrete, as was done for a sink hole which opened up under the corner of a house in Walters Ash near High Wycombe in February 2014. After the Walters Ash hole opened up a small car fell into it. which apparently was left there and the concrete poured round it. In this case a natural cause formed the hole (solution feature in the top of the Chalk).
Mind you both are tiddlers compared to the massive hole that opened up in Guatemala City in May 2010 which was around 100 m deep and 20 m wide! Another massive sink hole opened up in Tampa Florida in 2013 which killed an occupant of a house below which the hole opened up.
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