Frank S was out today on the river path that runs between Hebden Bridge station and Mytholmroyd (Sustrans Route 66). A hole in the tarmac had been reported, which didn't look too bad from a distance.
But this was seriously misleading ... While it was less than a foot wide at the surface, underneath it was much bigger - at least two feet deep and two feet wide. The soil had been washed out by the river, and the tarmac was undermined. The recent heat wave probably softened the tarmac and allowed the surface to collapse. Anyway, it was seriously dangerous for walkers and cyclists, and we heard that at least one cycle accident had already happened.
It was not possible to do any repairs today, and so the job was just to make it safer with yellow paint and red warning tape.
CROWS may be able to do a temporary repair by filling the hole with stones, but eventually Sustrans will have to do a major repair to hold up the river bank.
This work was funded by public donations to CROWS.
