AN urgent road closure was put in place by Cork County Council on Wednesday this week (October 22nd), to deal with a sinkhole that was discovered near Harbour View between Kilbrittain and Timoleague on Monday.

The road was due to be closed until 6pm to facilitate road repair works in the interests of public safety with alternative routes signposted.

The sinkhole, which was immediately blocked off by cones, signs and traffic lights, is approximately half a kilometre from the Pink Elephant Restaurant on the sea side of the of the road.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Niall Hegarty of The Pink Elephant said the road remains open for local traffic following the appearance of the sink hole.

‘Council workers covered the area on Monday with cones and there was more activity there on Tuesday and traffic lights were installed to help the flow of traffic,’ said Niall.

‘At least the road is still open to traffic and hopefully it can be fixed soon, as it’s a very busy route between the two villages.’

Local Fine Gael Councillor John Michael Foley said the sinkhole is down to coastal erosion, and that a chunk of the road went with it on Monday evening.

West Cork has experienced its fair share of sinkholes on roads in recent years including one in Allihies, which occurred in 2019 and is still closed after it exposed a huge, cavernous mine shaft.

It was Cork County Council’s intention to ‘cul de sac’ the public road and remove the public right of way, despite opposition from some local councillors.

Meanwhile, locals in the area are being forced to drive around it to get to where they want to go.