Emergency works to fix a collapsed pavement - which trapped a street sweeper after it suddenly caved in - are expected to take a month to repair.

Anglia Water, which is working with highway chiefs to carry out the repairs, has said it will take around four weeks to get the pavement in Great Yarmouth back to normal, after the path gave way and dropped Kelvin London's sweeping machine into a deep crevasse.

Mr London was unhurt in the collapse but the sweeper was left trapped in the crater in Northgate Street and had to be lifted out by a crane.

Temporary traffic lights have been set up in the road and the section of pavement has been cordoned off while engineers carry out the repair work.

They are having to fix a collapsed sewer - which is believed to have caused the subsidence last Tuesday, October 23 - and are currently having to dig 11.5ft (3.5m) down to reach the problem pipe.

Anglian Water has said the works will take some time because of the deep distance contractors have to dig and because they are having to do it by hand, as other utilities under the road have prevented them from using a mechanical digger.

A spokesman added: 'It's a long way we have to go and it's going to take some time, predominately just with the digging. We're looking at around four weeks to get everything done. We're working seven days a week to minimise that time.

'We're doing everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum but recognise it will cause some disruption. We're sorry about that and doing everything we can to be as quick as possible.'

Around three years ago the water company installed an additional storm sewer in the Northgate Street area, but the spokesman said the sudden pavement collapse had nothing to do with this earlier work and involved much older piping.

'It's a separate bit of infrastructure, it's been there for a very long time,' he added. 'Despite regular work to maintain it, as we do with sewers all across our region, it's unfortunately collapsed.'