MINEHEAD Town Council is calling for an urgent meeting with highways and other authorities after a sinkhole at least eight feet deep has appeared in a lane in the town.

Councillors claim that the hole, in an un-adopted back lane leading to Tythings Court, behind Park Street, is potentially dangerous and needs immediate work. It is thought it could be connected to an underground stream which runs under the town and could become more serious during the winter months.

The hole first appeared last winter and although Somerset West and Taunton council, the county council and the Environment Agency have all been contacted, none has accepted responsibility.

When the matter was discussed at Tuesday’s town council meeting, Cllr Anne Lawton warned: “We only know what we can see. We don’t know how bad it is up or downstream. This could be a small section of a very, very large problem. We just don’t know.”

She added: “This is really dangerous and does need serious work to make it safe for the future. Someone could be very seriously injured if prompt action isn’t taken.”

Cllr Terry Venner said he had been trying to get someone to deal with the hole since January: “My concern is that while the hole doesn’t look very big on the surface we have no idea what is happening below ground.

“Something needs to be done now but all the authorities are walking away and saying it’s not their problem. We are just going round in circles.”

The town council unanimously agreed to Cllr Venner’s proposal to invite the two councils and the Environment Agency to a meeting to determine who was responsible for dealing with the sinkhole.”

Cllr Venner said that there had been correspondence with the district over the presence of an underground stream in the area going back to 1986.

“The window of opportunity for this kind of work is a dry period, usually in September, but nothing has been done and I urge that we organise a meeting with the three bodies to see if we can bring this thing forward. We simply can’t leave things as they are.”

Cllr Venner said that the hole had been temporarily covered and the police had taped off the area but people needed to reach garages and the entrances to dwellings.

Assistant town clerk Bryan Howe pointed out that the sinkhole was obviously a health and safety hazard. “If there is a right of way and access for vehicles it has got to be the responsibility of a higher authority than us.”

Cllr John Malin said: “It really is a cavern down there – you could get 12 or 15 people in there standing up. It really is quite a large hole.”

He urged the council to contact the three bodies in the hope that one would take the lead on the project. If something wasn’t done quickly the problem could get much bigger “and God forbid what could happen”.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Venner said: “We need an urgent round table talk and someone has to take on the responsibility for this situation. At the moment it is very frustrating and, if nothing is done, the situation is certain to get worse.

“There are several streams running under the town and it seems that water is eroding the ground and the sinkhole is a sign that something pretty serious might be going on. Someone has got to get their act together and sort this out sooner rather than later.”