Road closure a year on from sinkhole saga in Lliswerry, Newport

The closure, on Cromwell Road in the Lliswerry area of the city, will last for three weeks longer than initially planned.

A burst water main is the cause of the closure, which was originally to last three days and end today (Monday, September 5).

Now, however, Newport City Council has announced three additional weeks are required to allow its Streetworks teams to make the site safe.

"We had expected the road to be open before schools started back this week, but with the road likely being closed for an extended time," a spokesperson said in a letter to local schools.

School buses will not be able to access the road and so all pupils normally catching a lift to school from Cromwell Road will instead have to do so from Corporation Road.

"This may also impact timings as traffic around this area is affected, we will not know how badly until the transport starts back," NCC Streetworks said.

"The buses are likely to be directed down Nash Road and onto the SDR, before travelling onto Corporation Road and to the school via George St Bridge.

"It is not an ideal situation for the first few weeks back, but as it is an emergency closure we are limited with what we can do."

The Cromwell Road area has been the site of two sinkholes in recent times, caused by damage to old water mains.

Almost exactly a year ago, excavations were carried out on a sinkhole in Cromwell Road which turned out to have been caused by a bricked culvert carrying an historic water course running under the carriageway.

Suspected sinkhole on Jenkins Street

Then, in May this year, another reported sinkhole opened up on Jenkins Street, which runs parrallel to Cromwell Road.