SURREY County Council is urgently trying to get to the bottom of a mystery sink hole threatening to make part of Haslemere town centre a no-go area for weeks.

Investigations into the small void that opened up in the carriageway on Shepherds Hill – at the junction with Lower Street – on February 3, sealing off part of the busy A286, took a dramatic turn last week.

The affected section of the road was due to be resurfaced and re-opened last Friday after Thames Water made minor repairs to cracks in a sewer.

But when Surrey Highways sent CCTV cameras down the hole to assess the extent of the problem, they found it was far bigger than originally thought.

County councillor Nikki Barton, who has been pressing for a speedy solution since the hole first appeared, revealed further investigations had shown it was actually “a series of mini-caves” with remains of brick walls suggesting the foundations, or basement, from an earlier building shown on old maps. The void could also be a link to an old bunker lying under the grassed area next to the Shepherds Hill junction.

The emergency closure of the A286 from the Lower Street junction to Hill Road is expected to continue for a couple of weeks, depending on the results of a ground radar survey

The prolonged closure of Haslemere’s major arterial road has caused misery both for Shepherds Hill traders, who have suffered dips in business, and for residents suffering the knock-on effects of the diversions.

Calls for clearer diversion signs on the A286 were made after HGVs overshot and attempted to access the town centre via the steep narrow lanes down from Hill Road and Courts Hill Road, with reports of lorries being stuck and damage caused to parked cars.

Mayor Melanie Odell said: “The town council is naturally very concerned about the ongoing closure of Shepherds Hill both in terms of the potential impact on traders and residents. I have been in regular contact with Nikki Barton, and the council understands the issue is more far-reaching than first thought, and that the road is unlikely to be opened in the near future.

“We realise the frustration for traders and residents and while the council understands public safety is paramount, we would assure you we will keep pressure on the parties involved to ensure as speedy a resolution as possible.

“Haslemere has suffered many traffic disruptions in recent years and in these difficult economic times it is paramount our shopping centres are easily accessible to ensure a welcoming shopping experience for the all the public, residents and visitors alike.”

Haslemere Chamber of Commerce president Craig McGowan said: “It is bad news and extremely frustrating. The chamber continues to monitor the situation closely and is in regular contact with Surrey County Council.

“We appreciate they have been trying to remedy the situation as urgently as possible but unfortunately it would seem that both Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Thames Water do not attach the highest priority to a main arterial road being closed, and the subsequent effect this has on the business community, particularly Haslemere town centre.

“We are trying to impress upon SSE and Thames Water the urgency of the situation.”

Thames Water told The Herald last week its investigations showed the void was not caused by leaks on any of its clean water or sewer pipes and it was down to the county council to take care of the problem.

But Surrey CC remained unconvinced Thames Water was entirely blameless, and responded the void could have been caused by a “wash out” due to cracks in the sewer pipe.

An SSE spokesman said: “We are currently working closely with the Surrey highways team to help them resolve this situation, and we were on site earlier this week to discuss the assistance we can offer.”

Mrs Barton told The Herald: “It’s really unfortunate the repairs have taken longer than hoped, but when a hole of such significance opens up at such a critical point a proper investigation has to be done, because there are important implications for the safety of road users and neighbouring properties.

“Two electric cables belonging to SSE, one a live main, the other disused, have been seen hanging in the void and the Surrey team is unable to work without the SSE team onsite.”

“Surrey highways have also found the road is cracking at some distance from the sink hole mouth.

A council spokesman said: “We are currently investigating the site to find out the cause and the extent of the issue, and once this has been established we will be able to press ahead with fixing the problem – we expect this may take a couple of weeks and we apologise to residents and businesses affected by the disruption.”