Oxford sinkhole no bigger but new cracks mean area still considered unsafe

Emergency management officials say the area around a Nova Scotia town's sinkhole remains unsafe, three months after it first appeared in a local park.

The sinkhole first appeared in mid-July as a hole the size of a dinner plate, and quickly grew to larger than 32.6 metres by 38.7 metres, swallowing up trees and picnic benches and drawing curious onlookers to Oxford, N.S.

Its growth has slowed to a virtual halt in recent weeks, but new cracks keep appearing both near the sinkhole and in a nearby parking lot.

In a news release Wednesday, officials say they have received a report on a ground penetrating radar survey of the site, but the depth of penetration was only one to five metres, "not adequate to effectively model the bedrock geology beneath the thick layer of sand" in the park.

The report is to be reviewed by outside experts, and a more detailed plan for investigating the sinkhole developed.

The officials said a few new cracks were found near the sinkhole on Tuesday, but no new cracks were found in the parking lot.

"Small amounts of soil continue to erode into the sinkhole and a number of areas are undercut due to the root base supporting the surface sod and soil," the emergency management officials said in the release.

"Consequently the site is still considered unsafe."

The town has previously said that cracks in the parking lot might expand to affect the nearby road, and alerted the public that travel routes may need to change.

A Tim Hortons cafe and a gas bar are among businesses across from the park on the outskirts of Oxford, a sleepy town of about 1,000 people that calls itself the wild blueberry capital of Canada.