AN OLD well that is 50ft deep and 10ft wide has been discovered along a pathway between two homes in Warminster.

Warminster firefighters were called to Marsh Street at around 2pm on Tuesday after Shaun Abbott, who lives two doors down from where the well is, noticed that a paving slab had disappeared, leaving a gaping three-foot hole.

They were joined within the hour by Wiltshire Council's building control team and police, who then cordoned off the walk way. Although the occupants have been told that they will not need to leave their homes, the hole will be filled in as it is a big safety risk.

"I was very concerned for my neighbours as it is a very deep hole and this is a communal path that people walk down," said Mr Abbott.

"I noticed about a week ago that a paving slab was 15mm lower than the others but I thought nothing of it. Then again today I saw that that same slab had disappeared into the abyss. I went to check the extent of it and tested another slab and then that came free and what followed was a big splash.

"I then called the authorities straight away as the well really is huge. I hope they can fix it soon."

Next door neighbour Andrew Batchelor added: "When I saw it, I thought, 'Oh my god, that hole is huge.' When I got closer and looked at it properly it seemed to get bigger and bigger and bigger."

Building control surveyor at Wiltshire Council, Conrad Carruthers, said at the scene that the sandstone that had been under the pathway had been eroded by rain water and that had opened up what was plugging up the well.

Station manager at Warminster, Darren Nixon, said: "This is incredibly rare. I have been a firefighter here for nearly 20 years and I have never seen anything like it, none of us have.

"We were initially told it was a sinkhole but it is actually an old well that is surprisingly deep. There is a concern about the stability but everybody is okay. We are just here to keep the scene safe."

Wiltshire Council are looking into covering up the hole and making the area safe.