A property developer has been forced to act after sinkholes began opening up on a brand new estate just metres away from homes.

Residents raised the alarm after the holes began to open up on Bellway Homes’ new St Mary’s Estate in Stannington near Ponteland.

The 172-home development is on the site of the former St Mary’s Hospital, and it is believed the holes are connected to the former hospital tunnels that ran under the site prior to the development.

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Homeowner Samuel Lowe noticed the issue and accused the developer of a lack of urgency.

He said: “Sinkholes have now started to open up just meters away from the newest phases of homes which seem to be old tunnels from the hospital that Bellway haven’t filled correctly.

“Although I informed Bellway over a month ago, there has been no urgency to cordon the area off, never mind inspect and fix the issue. This is very worrying for us residents.”

Bellway has confirmed that since Mr Lowe got in touch with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, it has taken action to secure the site and will carry out any work necessary to solve the problem.

A spokeswoman for the company said: “Bellway has begun investigating the issues raised after being made aware of the situation yesterday, and will undertake any remedial works needed at St. Mary’s Estate.

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“The area in question has been fenced off and residents can rest assured that Bellway places the highest priority on their safety.”

It isn’t the first time issues with the site have been raised – in October, a petition with more than 300 signatures was handed to Northumberland County Council criticising Bellway over the development.

Residents said there were a series of concerns about the St Mary’s development, including a large amount of construction waste remaining on the site and the fact that a number of landscaping elements specified during the planning process had not been completed.

At the time, the council gave Bellway a series of timescales to ensure the work was completed, with the Castle Morpeth Local Area Committee to receive an update within six months of the October meeting.

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