Busy Braintree road 'shut for safety' after 'void' appears overnight

A busy road in Braintree has been closed suddenly after officials discovered "a void" in the ground. A section of Notley Road has been temporarily closed for safety while engineers investigate the discovery.

It was identified overnight between Wednesday (April 24) and Thursday by a team carrying out machine surfacing operations in the area. It was a process that required the surface layer to be removed.

The closure could cause delays in the local area with drivers forced to take alternative routes. An investigation to discover the cause of the void is underway but might require third party organisations' involvement.

Read more: Driver who made U-turn that caused serious motorbike crash near Harlow avoids jail

Read more: Stolen BMW crashes into bush after 90mph police chase through Essex towns

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: "It is not currently possible to reopen the road between the junctions of Kenworthy Road and Stone Close until the void is repaired. Further information will be provided when more details become available."

Essex County Council use a risk factor scale of 1-16 to prioritise road defects. Those graded 1 are said to be the least prioritised whilst those graded 16 have a high level of seriousness.

Members of the public are encouraged to report any defects they find through an online Tell Us tool. Information about how they prioritise highways issues can be found here.

Get more traffic and travel news from EssexLive straight to your inbox for FREE