A SINK hole that has plagued Knutsford town centre for three years is finally being fixed.

Work to mend the big hole which keeps reappearing on Toft Road between the Curzon cinema and the railway station started this week.

The 'unusually complex' repair is expected to take two months.

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The problem has been exacerbated because it has been confirmed that the collapsed pavement is above an underground tunnel.

It is believed the hidden passage once linked the station to the old court house.

Several attempts have been made to mend the hole over the years but each time the repairs have failed.

Residents have condemned it as a ‘deathtrap’ as pedestrians have been walking around the cordon into traffic to avoid a safe detour.

One man said: "It is dangerous, I am concerned.

"This problem has been going on far too long and needs to be fixed once and for all."

Another resident added: "It is a death trap. I have seen children and mums with prams stepping out into a busy road to get round it."

Cheshire East Council and United Utilities have both now vowed to sort out the problem.

In a joint statement, Cllr Craig Browne, chairman of Cheshire East Council’s highways and transport committee, said: "United Utilities and Cheshire East Council are working together to resolve the hole on Toft Road in Knutsford.

“We expect it will take a further eight weeks to make a full repair, as we need to work around a historic tunnel that runs under the road at this location, which has been making this repair unusually complex.

“Work has already begun and from this week, there may be some traffic disruption while it progresses.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and can assure residents and motorists that the issue will be resolved soon."

Residents were so exasperated with the continual collapse of the pavement they turned the hole into a tourist attraction.

Locals christened the sunken crater after the Danish king who gave the town its name.

‘King Canute’s Great Sink Hole’ attracted reviews on Google.