Huge hole opens on Manchester road after heavy rain

By Liza Hearon From Mashable

LONDON — A 40-foot-deep hole has opened on a Manchester street and is getting bigger after heavy rain possibly eroded a culvert beneath the road, the Manchester Evening News said.

Part of Mancunian Way is closed in both directions and may remain closed over the weekend, a Manchester city council spokesperson told the paper. The hole is at the Ancoats end of the route.

Reporter Alex Hibbert shared the picture with typical British understatement.

The northern city known for its gloomy weather was battered by more rain than usual Friday, which led to flooding and travel disruption. An observation station in Rochdale logged 30.8 mm (1.2 inches) of rain in six hours — the average rainfall for all of August in Greater Manchester is usually 80 mm (3.1 inches), the Met Office said.

The hole has started to become somewhat of a social media star, with the Manchester Evening Standard’s liveblog has switching from weather watch to hole watch and people rushing to take selfies with the hole.

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