A sinkhole which forced the closure of an Aberdeen playing field has finally been filled in.
Harlaw playing field in the city’s west end, the site of a former bleach factory, has been shut off to the general public since the large hole first appeared in May.
Despite it was locked up and officially off-limits, concerns were raised by local residents that youngsters breaking in and playing in the overgrown grass could potentially harm themselves.
But now, following extensive work by specialist engineers to establish the extent of the hole and ducts underground, the fields are almost ready to be opened once again to the public.
Neil Cooney, the convener of Aberdeen City Council’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee, said the local authority is trying its hardest to ensure the restrictions to entry are lifted as soon as possible.
Mr Cooney said: “Thankfully the extent of the hole and ducts wasn’t as bad as first feared, so the problem has been fixed and the hole repaired.
“We then have to wait until the grass is properly re-established over the site of the hole before the area could be used for sports activities again, as these can take a heavy toll on grass.
“The Harlaw playing fields are now due to re-open very shortly and we appreciate everyone’s patience while the investigation and the works were going on.”
But ward councillor Martin Greig said he was furious the problem had not been dealt with sooner.
Mr Greig said: “Residents have been incredibly frustrated, the field has been closed for 102 days.
“They don’t understand why it’s taken months and months for them to get to the stage where they even started to address the problem in earnest.
“I’m very keen to see the fields reopened as soon as possible, the hole has been fully repaired, the grass has been cut, and it’s very frustrating that we still have to wait even longer when this hole should have been fixed a long, long time ago.
“The hole appeared on May 24, and wasn’t inspected until August 15th, so that is a really unacceptable time frame for the council.”
