The A361 in north Oxfordshire has reopened after emergency repairs were completed ahead of schedule.

The road, north of Wardington, was closed by Oxfordshire County Council on 5 December after a sinkhole appeared in the centre of the carriageway.

Repairs began after inspectors visited the site, with the council’s highways contractor, Milestone Infrastructure, expecting the work to last until the end of December. However, it has managed to complete it before Christmas.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “I am extremely grateful to our highways teams and Milestone for making this such a priority and for reopening this busy road earlier than expected.

“While this repair work was carried on an emergency basis in order to reopen the road as quickly as possible, we will be working with our partners at Cherwell District Council and the Environment Agency in the new year to explore whether more permanent repairs are necessary.

“If this is the case, residents can be assured that they will be carried out as planned works, which should be less disruptive to users of this busy road.”

It is believed that the sinkhole was caused by the recent flooding of the River Cherwell, causing debris to damage a brick water pipe (culvert) running under the road.

The most recent inspection of the culvert by the council’s highways teams, carried out before the flooding, showed no cause for concern in the culvert’s condition. However, debris had blocked the watercourse, submerging the culvert.

Water had to be pumped out to enable the culvert to be inspected, before the full extent of required repairs could be determined.

(Picture – Oxfordshire CC)