PEOPLE ARE BEING urged to stay away from a sinkhole which has developed on a road in the Beara Peninsula of Co Cork. 

The sinkhole is located on a road to the south of Allihies Village. The road has been closed to the public.

Cork County Council said it appears the sinkhole is linked to the collapse of a mine shaft in Cahermeeleboe, Allihies. 

While the road has been closed and barriers have been erected to prevent access to the area, there is the potential that this hole will become bigger, given the unknown ground conditions in the area, according to the council. 

As a result, the council is urging the public to be vigilant and is advising that caution should be exercised by all in the area. 

“Cork County Council is monitoring the situation and staff are currently endeavouring to ascertain contact information for the owners of the mine,” the council said. 

Local man Finbarr Harrington, who was an independent candidate in the local elections in May, told Cork’s C103 earlier today: “It’s a busy enough little road … there would be a good number of people using it, but the big thing here is it’s extremely dangerous, it’s quite a substantial hole.” 

Separately, the council has asked the Exploration and Mining Division of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to undertake a survey of the area “as a matter of urgency” to determine the extent of the undermining and the potential risk of further collapses in this area.