A large sinkhole has opened up at a sportsfield in Melbourne's north-east on Monday evening, with fears the ground could continue to cave in.
Emergency services were alerted to the sudden slump at the AJ Burkitt Oval at Banyule Flats Reserve in Heidelberg last night.
The area is located near where tunnel-boring machines were working on the North East Link Project – a AU$26.1 billion (NZ$30.3 billion) 10km tolled highway in Melbourne.
The Victoria State Emergency Service issued an alert around midnight, warning locals to stay away from the sinkhole and adding that it "may continue to grow in size".
A spokesperson for the State Emergency Service told the ABC the hole was around 8m wide and 5m deep.
The Banyule City Council said it was aware of the incident.
"For everyone’s safety, Victoria Police have cordoned off the affected area. Please avoid the area until further notice."
Spark, which was delivering the North East Link Project, had "taken control of the site to undertake assessments and manage safety within the area", the council said.
A spokesperson for the North East Link confirmed it was investigating the cause.
"The area has been secured and crews are closely monitoring the site and surrounding areas.
"We strongly advise people to avoid the area while investigations into the cause are underway."
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