A LARGE section of riverbank in York has collapsed near one of the city’s busiest main roads.

A 50-ft stretch of grass and earth bank near the Landing Lane RSPCA animal re-homing centre has subsided following months of rain and fluctuating river levels.

Poppleton road resident Len Smith, 57, who cycles past the area every day, said he expected the section to be washed away within days.

He said: “It started off as a little split in the grass and now it’s a section about 50-ft long and a metre wide.

“I would say it’s slipped about two feet and it’s going to end up in the river.”

The affected area is only yards from the busy junction of Water End and Salisbury Road.

Staff at the nearby RSPCA centre said they were unaware of the slippage but would now warn dog walkers to keep away from the area.

Mr Smith said: “The Ouse has almost become like a tidal river now because it goes up and down so much.

“I bet this particular section will be in the river by the end of the week. I used to go fishing around there in the 1960s and there are noticeable differences to the river bend since then.

“It’s getting nearer and nearer to the road,” he said: “It’s just washing everything away.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, which monitors flooding and river levels, said it had received no reports of the subsidence but would now investigate.

In the mean time, anyone concerned about the risk of flooding should phone the agency’s 24-hour floodline on 0845 988 1188.