A stretch of road at risk of collapse due to erosion of an adjacent riverbank has been closed.

Eastern Daily Press: The state of the riverbank along Riverside Road in Gorleston. Picture: Jason Silom.The state of the riverbank along Riverside Road in Gorleston. Picture: Jason Silom. (Image: Archant)

On Monday (January 6) Norfolk County Council erected barriers on Riverside Road in Gorleston after reports that a void at least a metre deep had appeared underneath the surface, causing the section of road next to Williamson's Lookout to sink.

A council spokesperson said: "We hope to carry out repairs to a sunken section of the road in the next few weeks which will allow it to be reopened to traffic.

"We will also liaise with other agencies regarding longer term river wall issues which are exacerbating the problem."

The Environment Agency (EA) maintains over 10 kilometres of flood defences along the banks of the Rivers Yare and Bure but the stretch of Riverside Road currently closed is in private ownership.

Eastern Daily Press: Erosion of the riverbank has opened a void at least a metre deep under a section of Riverside Road in Gorleston. Picture: Jason Silom.Erosion of the riverbank has opened a void at least a metre deep under a section of Riverside Road in Gorleston. Picture: Jason Silom. (Image: Archant)

Concerns about erosion along the road have been rumbling for a number of years, with fears that the Ice House, a structure dating back to medieval times which was used to store ice from ships coming into the port, is in danger of ruin due to crumbling sea defences.

Meanwhile the EA was due to start a major project of refurbishing 40 flood defence walls in Great Yarmouth this week (January 6), with work scheduled to continue until September.

The flood defences are mainly concrete and steel walls formed by an extension of the piled quay face with some set back concrete walls.

On social media, commenting on the damage along Riverside Road, one woman said: "Just lucky that a car or lorry hasn't gone straight into the river. The time for just shoving barriers up is now over."

Eastern Daily Press: A section of Riverside Road in Gorleston, which has sunk due to erosion of the riverbank, has been closed off by Norfolk County Council. Picture: Google Maps.A section of Riverside Road in Gorleston, which has sunk due to erosion of the riverbank, has been closed off by Norfolk County Council. Picture: Google Maps. (Image: Archant)