TALK about the earth opening up beneath you...
In October 1989, a huge hole suddenly appeared beneath King’s Square after a sewer collapsed. A city council dustcart that was passing at the time overturned, much to the astonishment of passers-by.
Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, though one workman apparently had to crawl out of the hole covered in cuts and bruises.
The area was sealed off by barriers – but quickly became something of a tourist attraction. Indeed, so worried were council engineers that they feared the sheer number of people coming to look at the hole could lead to a further collapse.
City centre manager John Liley said that barriers were moved further away from the hole to ensure people were safe. “We have taken the barrier out wider, because by coming to see the hole, people were endangering themselves,” he said.
Visitors crowded to see York's newest 'tourist attraction'
Press photographers captured the drama of the incident – and the throng of people still coming to view York’s latest tourist attraction days later.
But does anyone actually remember the King’s Square hole? We’d love to hear from anyone who does...
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