RESIDENTS in Beattock are desperate to find out who owns a crumbling road in which a dangerous sinkhole has appeared.
It has formed at the end of the unclassified road which leads to Kirkpatrick Juxta Church and also serves three homes.
The hole first appeared three years ago and has now grown into a gaping sinkhole that stretches to the width of the road.
Resident Anna O’Neill has reported the problem to Dumfries and Galloway Council several times and after initially covering over the crater, they now say it’s not their responsibility.
Anna this week described it as ‘pretty much impassable now’ and said residents have to leave their cars at the bottom of the road to avoid damaging their vehicles.
She added: “There is a huge health and safety risk to anyone walking over it, the residents of three households, the church congregation which now includes Moffat’s St Andrews congregation and any other vehicles which need access across it. It is awful.
“With the bad weather recently the stream has eroded away even more so that now the sides of the tunnel under the road have collapsed further. It is now not safe to drive over.
“It’s only a matter of time before there is an accident. Something needs to be done about this as soon as possible before someone gets hurt and no-one seems to want to help us.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council have previously installed metal plates to cover the sinkhole on two occasions but now claim that it is a private road.
There has also been speculation locally that the road could be the responsibility of the Church of Scotland since it leads to one of their parishes, however a spokesperson from the Church of Scotland yesterday said: “It is our understanding that the responsibility for maintenance of the road leading to the Kirkpatrick Juxta Church lies with Dumfries and Galloway Council, with previous works undertaken by them.”
Meanwhile, Anna and her neighbours are keen to hear from anyone with old maps or information about the ownership of the road.
