A sinkhole that opened on a road may be linked to miles of secret haunted tunnels under a UK city, locals claim.
The cavity appeared in a residential road in Gloucester in early November and was coned off by authorities.
But local paranormal experts say the event has sparked renewed interest in the city’s long-held rumors and legends of ancient subterranean chambers.
Photos have previously revealed a 22-mile network of tunnels and chambers under Gloucester—dating back to the English Civil War and World War II.
The sinkholes appeared on Vicarage Road in the Tredworth area.
One local group says excessive rain may have disturbed some of the lost, forgotten, and secret underground tunnels and passageways.
“We started getting messages on our Facebook page,” Edd Francis, of Gloucester Paranormal Investigation Services, said.
“Most of the inquiries were from local people asking if there could be a connection between the sinkhole and the secret tunnels believed to be beneath the city.”
Paul Cowmeadow, also in the group, said, “There are rumored to be over 22 miles of tunnels under the city of Gloucester, which would make sense based on the publicly known archaeology of the city dating back to the Roman times.
“There are entrances to the tunnel network from the cellars of several pubs in the town center, and we’ve seen them.
“The Fleece Hotel, which is now closed, has got an entrance in the basement that goes into a tunnel that’s been bricked up, and it seemed to be heading under Westgate Street in the direction of the cathedral.
“It’s believed that the tunnel system was used for several purposes over the centuries, ranging from smuggling to the English Civil War and then later in World War II. It’s rumored that the secret services and military also made use of them.
“As paranormal researchers, we’ve heard a local story about the tunnels a lot of times that goes back to the 1970s.
“Apparently, a group of builders were working under the city, in the tunnels, on a council contract doing some kind of big construction or maintenance work with big machinery—thousands of pounds worth of kit.
“It’s said that there were unusual occurrences where they were working: objects moving around on their own, strange noises, and apparently things escalated quickly to where all of the builders suddenly fled the tunnels and legged it.
“Now, nobody knows what the builders saw that day, but whatever it was scared them that bad they refused to go back down there ever again, and they even left all their expensive tools and machines down there.
“I do believe there are a lot of mysteries beneath the pavements and streets of Gloucester, but on this occasion, it is looking far more like an old Victorian sewer has collapsed rather than the lizard people emerging from their subterranean hideouts.”
Paranormal historian and host of the “Fortean News Podcast,” James Koppert, said, “In April 2022, a sinkhole appeared in Rome, near to the Pantheon.
“Amazingly the sinkhole revealed the remains of a temple dating back to the year 27 B.C. as well as loads of other cool finds and clues to the city’s past and history.
“Then in February of this year, a sinkhole in Edinburgh revealed the remnants of a historic railway tunnel and track from the 1840s, long abandoned and buried over a century ago.
“So sinkholes in historic places really can uncover ancient mysteries and lost treasures, and with Gloucester’s history literally going back thousands of years, I wouldn’t be too surprised if a sinkhole in the city did expose hidden underground structures.”
One inhabitant who lives in a house less than 30 feet away from the sinkhole said, “At half past 7 this morning, some bloke driving to work went in the hole.
“He done a bit of damage to his car because when they got him back up, he went off down the road clanking.
“Then he parked up and waited nearly two hours for somebody to come from highways, and they gave him an incident number to give for his insurance.
“Now just imagine if that was a motorbike; it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Another concerned local commenting on Facebook said, “There’s one on Sydney Street and there’s one behind it on the alley that’s getting bigger been there for months.”
A tweet from a Gloucestershire highways team said an emergency road closure was set up while repairs were done.
