A sinkhole roughly 8–10 m wide and several metres deep has opened on the AJ Burkitt Reserve sporting oval in Heidelberg, directly adjacent to the North East Link tunnel alignment in Melbourne’s northeast. Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority has confirmed the “surface hole” is in the vicinity of active tunnelling operations, leading to a work pause while engineers and emergency crews carry out geotechnical investigations and monitoring. No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but the area remains fully cordoned off pending cause determination and stability assessment.

A three-year University of Stirling study links dense Himalayan balsam stands on UK riverbanks to higher winter bank erosion rates, as the shallow-rooted annual dies back and leaves bare, unreinforced soil exposed to peak flows. Researchers tracked vegetation and bank condition along invaded and non-invaded reaches, finding greater lateral retreat and fine sediment mobilisation where balsam dominated. The work signals a need to factor invasive species management into fluvial design, scour protection detailing and river corridor maintenance to protect water quality and habitat structure.

The derailment of a freight train on a bridge in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, on 6 September 2024 was caused by failure of screws securing the rails to a timber support system, according to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. The incident occurred on a bridge structure where the track was fastened to timber rather than conventional concrete or steel bearers, and the screw fixings did not maintain adequate restraint. The findings point to the need for closer inspection regimes and design checks for timber-supported track, particularly at bridge locations with high dynamic loading.