A SINKHOLE that opened up and forced the evacuation of a supermarket has now been repaired.

The Sainsbury’s store in Ripon had to evacuate its customers and staff when the large sinkhole appeared in a walkway next to the building on August 21.

The emergency services were called and police cordoned off the area as engineers investigated the hole.

The walkway has now been fixed and the Sainsbury’s store was set to reopen at 8am this morning.

The shop had been closed since the sinkhole first appeared and store manager, Graeme Phoenix, said: “We’re extremely grateful to our colleagues and the engineers who have helped us reopen the store so quickly.

“We look forward to welcoming our customers back.”

Ripon is well-known for sinkholes and the British Geological Survey said it is one of the most susceptible areas of the UK because of its permian gypsum deposits.

In 2016, a pensioner almost fell into a 30ft deep sinkhole in her back garden in Magdelen’s Road.

In February this year another hole opened up at Ripon Leisure Centre. Their frequency has seen the city feature in TV documentaries.