Pictured: Sinkhole swallows bin lorry on Welsh promenade

A bin lorry was swallowed by a massive sinkhole on a seaside promenade in Wales.

The workers leapt out of the truck when it plunged into the 10ft hole on the seafront in Rhyl, as pedestrians looked on in shock.

Ifor Leyshon, 52, a dog walker, said: “It was an incredible site. The bin lorry was there one minute – and down the hole the next.

“It is just lucky that no children nor pets were swallowed at the same time.”

About a third of the lorry disappeared beneath ground, but council officials said fortunately nobody was injured.

Engineers are set to investigate the cause of the incident


Credit: WALES NEWS SERVICE

Another eyewitness said: “The sinkhole is absolutely massive. The entire right (driver’s) side of the bin lorry was in the hole above its headlight – such was the depth the vehicle had sunk down.”

The popular prom was still accessible for pedestrians as barriers were placed around the hole.

A Denbighshire County Council spokesperson said: “The council is aware of an incident which involved one of its refuse collection vehicles on the promenade in Rhyl. The area has been secured with barriers and there is still safe passage for pedestrians.

“We are currently awaiting the arrival of our recovery contractors to come and retrieve the vehicle. No physical injuries have been reported and engineers will be investigating the cause of the incident.”