A motorist has told of his shock after driving over a sinkhole near a primary school.

The 1ft-wide cavity has opened up in The Street in Boughton under Blean, between Canterbury and Faversham, and was spotted yesterday morning by resident Mark Steadman.

He posted about it online to warn people, given its close proximity to a crossing near Boughton under Blean and Dunkirk Primary School.

“It caught me out as I didn’t see it,” he said.

“There was a big bang and I pulled over to see what it was.

“I just took a photo and put it on Facebook to warn everyone.”

Mr Steadman has reported the sinkhole to Kent County Council (KCC), which he says were quick to arrive at the scene.

“They have been out and put cones around it; they were actually quite quick to respond,” he said.

It is thought the sinkhole appeared following a water leak.

On one.network – a system that shows scheduled roadworks – there is a note that there may be repairs taking place in the area.

The description says investigations are underway into a highway collapse, possibly because of a water leak.

Nick Bell, head of operations (Kent) for South East Water, said: “The appearance of a sinkhole in The Street, Boughton under Blean, has been brought to our attention.

"We are sending an expert technician to the site to assess the situation.

“We are sorry for the disruption caused by the sinkhole.”