Sappers Field Wooburn sink hole: Work could start next month

A sinkhole appeared in Sappers Field in Wooburn at the end of February 2020, prompting Wooburn and Bourne End Parish Council to fence off the area and shut the field for safety reasons.

A survey of the huge void in June found that it was a staggering 46 metres deep – and the field has had to stay closed ever since.

Visitors to the field, off Kiln Lane, were shocked to discover a massive hole in the grass on February 29, 2020.

Because the hole was so big - and apparently continued to get bigger after parish council staff arrived at the site - the whole field had to be shut off for the safety of walkers.

Photo by Lesley James

According to a report by GeoTerra, who used laser scanners to assess what happened, the sinkhole collapse exposed a 10-metre void and below it, a 36-metre deep bell pit which had previously been used to excavate clay for the manufacturing of bricks on the site.

The first recorded reference to activity at Sappers Field was in 1847, with tile-making and brickwork operations thought to have been active on the site from the mid-19th century until at least 1925.

The hole is visible on Google Maps

It was then used as a landfill site by the council in the 1960s before it was filled in by a group of retired royal engineers and turned into a recreational park in 1975.

Now, after nearly two and a half years of being off-limits to locals, the huge sinkhole could finally be fixed.

Photo by @Shanus71

It was predicted to cost up to £100,000 to fix and Wooburn and Bourne End Parish Council were planning to let Buckinghamshire Council take temporary ownership of the site to get the damage repaired.

A meeting between contractors and the unitary council, as well as the parish council, was held on site on July 13, and work to fill the hole is expected to start next month as long as investigation work doesn’t turn up any problems.

Cllr John Chilver, the unitary council’s cabinet member for accessible housing and resources said: “Buckinghamshire Council has been working with an external contractor to carry out ground investigation works at the site this week.

“The results of these investigations will feed into plans for repair and remediation works. Subject to the findings of the investigation works, we hope to begin remediation work on site in the early part of August.

“We are working closely with the parish council and local residents to keep them informed of all developments.”