A taxi became stuck in a gaping 5ft sinkhole caused by a burst water main in Hampstead this morning.

Ham & High: A burst water main seems to be the cause of this pothole in New End at the junction with Well Walk. Picture: Lucy SandersA burst water main seems to be the cause of this pothole in New End at the junction with Well Walk. Picture: Lucy Sanders (Image: Archant)

The incident happened in New End at the corner of Well Walk at about 7am.

The cab is no longer at the scene and the pothole has been cordoned off.

A Thames Water engineer is working with a repair team today on a plan to fix the pipe and road.

The pipe is likely to be repaired this afternoon but roadworks will extend into the weekend to fix the sinkhole.

A Thames Water spokesman said: “We’re really sorry to anyone affected by the burst pipe today.

“Our engineers have stopped the flow of water and are now focused on repairing the pipe and getting the road back to normal as soon as possible.”