Little Lever and Darcy Lever Councillor Andrea Taylor-Burke first brought the attention to the issue on Mytham Road around '18 months ago', after noticing a road had started to dip. The road collapsed on Thursday 22 January, which an investigation by United Utilities confirmed was due to a leaky underground water main. The pipe at Mytham Road which caused the sinkhole (Image: David Meehan)"It's the worst case scenario - it's just been getting worse and worse since it was first patched. According to Cllr Taylor-Burke, she raised the issue with highways again before Christmas 2025. Mytham Road remains closed (Image: David Meehan)But the road collapsed before the work could take place, with a sinkhole opening up just outside Mytham Road Primary school on January 22 2026.