A deep sinkhole has appeared close to the spot where a major road was closed following a landslide.

The crevice, which is about 1ft wide, caused part of High Street, Swanscombe, to be closed by the George and Dragon pub at the junction of London Road and High Street around 4pm yesterday.

Kent County Council has said there is no evidence linking this to the Galley Hill Road cliff collapse

Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Councillor Peter Harman is confident it is not connected to the earlier road collapse.

He said: “Kent County Council is very safety conscious and if they had any doubts they would have shut the whole road rather than just closing one side of the road.”

At a meeting of councillors and residents in January Kent County Council (KCC) admitted it had yet to gain access to the site on the A226 Galley Hill Road but put forward four options to fix the road which has been closed for 10 months.

Four possible options have been discussed on how to fix the damaged road between Swanscombe High Street and Ebbsfleet United Football Club’s Kuflink Stadium in Northfleet.

The collapse last April was believed to have been caused by a burst water pipe.

A spokesperson for KCC said there was no evidence linking this to the Galley Hill Road cliff collapse.

He said: “We are aware of a void below the surface of the road in High Street, Swanscombe.

“Officers have arranged for our contractor to visit the site with a view to completing any work that may be required.”