A sinkhole in the garden of a 91-year-old woman has remained unrepaired for almost a year.  

The hole first appeared next to a footpath on Rose Drive, Chesham, in December last year.

Ever since, Tina Fletcher has tried to help her elderly neighbour, who has even travelled to the Council offices in bid to get the "dangerous" hole filled before it collapses.  

Now the sinkhole has grown, making part of the footpath unsafe and leaving an even bigger dent in the front garden, which has been “extremely distressing” for Tina’s neighbour, she said on OurChesham Facebook group.

Tina said she was “very worried" about the expected bad weather, which could make it worse. 

Bucks Free Press: The sinkhole in March (left) and the situation in OctoberThe sinkhole in March (left) and the situation in October (Image: Tina Fletcher)

“I can’t help but think that if the hole had been dealt with back in December when it was first discovered and reported when it was very small we wouldn’t be in this awful situation now.

“I have visions of her whole garden collapsing if something is not done very soon.”

In June, the sinkhole already appeared large and the footpath “sunk and cracked even more,” Tina said.

Although barriers were placed around the affected area, Buckinghamshire Council was hesitating to take action because the sinkhole was on private land.

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A Council investigator allegedly told Tina she couldn’t fill the hole up herself, but the works needed to be done by someone with an accreditation.

Then a technician told Tina if they wanted the hole repaired, they would also have to fix the public footpath, which she wasn’t prepared to do.

Tina’s neighbour has been “very upset” by the drawn-out issue, especially because she has “always taken pride in her garden,” which is now looking “unkept and neglected.”

Buckinghamshire Council’s deputy cabinet member for transport Peter Martin said: “We are aware that this sinkhole is causing ongoing issues for the homeowner and is impacting the public highway.

"We have therefore employed specialist contractors to investigate the cause of the sink hole, in conjunction with information from Thames Water and we expect the findings of this shortly, which will inform next steps.

"In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the situation and ensure barriers are in place to keep pedestrians safe.”