Our pretty village has been cut off from the world after mysterious crater opened up – there’s bizarre reason to blame
RESIDENTS of a Suffolk village have been “cut off” from the outside world after a bizarre crater opened up last Christmas.
Council contractors descended on the main road through Hulver to find out what caused the mysterious crater in the tarmac.
After setting up traffic lights, bringing in diggers, drills and jackhammers, and cordoning off a stretch of the road, they discovered the cause – a badger sett had been dug underneath.
But that was only the start of the saga, which still has no end in sight and is set to drag on beyond this Christmas.
Badgers are protected by law and their setts can only be moved between the beginning of July and the end of October, and only once Natural England has granted permission.
Suffolk Highways applied for a licence to move the Hulver badgers in June and has still not received authorisation.
With only days until the end of October deadline, the group still has not heard back.
If the licence is not granted before Halloween, the restrictions will remain in place for at least another eight months.
In the meantime, one carriageway is closed and a traffic light system is in place, causing long jams to build up on the busy rural route.
Many visitors and delivery drivers are giving the village a miss to avoid the congestion and delays.
One villager said: “It’s so frustrating, it is almost like cutting us off from the outside world.”
81-year-old villager Michael Leedham said: “I am so angry with the council – I used to be a road engineer and I cannot understand the council’s delay in accessing a licence to remove the sett.
“The way this has been handled has been bodged from day one, and time is simply running out.
“From December to June the council sat on this information and didn’t do anything.
“Why did it take the council so long to inform the wildlife group to remove the badgers? They should have been on that straight away.”
Michael said the road could be at risk of collapsing at this point, putting both the animals and drivers at risk.
The sett remains cordoned off by the barriers on Hulver Street.
A Suffolk Highways spokeswoman said: “The temporary traffic signals are in place to ensure the safety of the travelling members of the public and the badgers.
“We have been working with the relevant authorities to ensure that correct procedures are followed, including applying for a licence from Natural England.
“The design is now complete. However, before repairs can begin, badger activity will need to be monitored for a minimum of 21 days.
“We are unable to provide accurate timescales at this stage.”