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Schoolboy, 15, 'disappears' after plunging into 8ft sinkhole on his way home
Sam Foulkes was rescued from the two-metre hole's depths after a stranger passing by the site of the accident in Stoneclough, Bolton, jumped out of their car to his aid
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Sam Foulkes was rescued from the two-metre hole's depths after a stranger passing by the site of the accident in Stoneclough, Bolton, jumped out of their car to his aidSam Foulkes fell more than two metres below ground (
Image: Submitted)
A schoolboy who plunged into an eight foot sinkhole while returning from school was rushed to hospital after he "disappeared" into the ground.
Sam Foulkes, 15, was walking along Kearsley Road in Stoneclough, Bolton, on the way back from class on January 15 when the pavement "gave way" underneath him. He vanished underneath the floor via a narrow, 2x1 metre opening, descending more than two metres while his father watched on.
The teen told the Manchester Evening News the incident was "traumatic", with his dad speaking about the moment his son "took a step and fell". The 15-year-old said: "It was pretty traumatic. I stepped on this path and it just gave way, and I fell about eight feet. I don't remember much because I think I was in shock."
Bolton council said it is fixing the hole (Image:
Submitted)His dad Stuart said his son "fell through the floor", saying: "It was about 4pm so the light was OK and there was no indication of a sinkhole. He just took a step and fell through the floor." Sam was only able to emerge from the hole after a stranger stopped to help, jumping out of his car to the rescue.
Stuart continued: "He jumped out of his car and stopped traffic, running across the road, cause he saw Sam just disappear into the ground. He was able to lie flat on the ground and pull him out. Sam's quite tall - about 5ft 8 - but he was in waist-high water and he couldn't get out. It was about seven or eight foot deep."
"The passer-by pulled Sam out and he was covered head to toe in water and grime. If he hadn't been passing, or if Sam had knocked himself out, who knows what could have happened?" Sam escaped serious injuries in the fall, but he was taken to hospital the next day to treat soft tissue damage in his arm and a cut on his chin.
The incident was reported to police and the local council, who cordoned off the hole, but Stuart remains concerned about the dangers sinkholes pose. He said: "My main concern is, what if it happens again to someone else?" said Stuart. "There are other sinkholes that have appeared - I'd hate for it to be a car going through there."
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said the hole was caused by drainage issues, adding that authorities have now commenced local repairs. They said: "The issue was raised as an out of hours emergency to the highways call out team last Wednesday (15 January) and we attended and made the location safe.
"The council had received no previous concerns regarding the area. We have been waiting for National Grid to grant permission for repair work to go ahead, as it is in the vicinity of a pylon. The sinkhole was caused by a drainage issue and repairs commenced [on January 21]. We aim to complete repairs by the end of next week."
