A two-metre-long ditch which has opened up next to a road between the Paphos district villages of Emba and Tala poses a serious safety risk for motorists, the Paphos police said on Thursday.

The Paphos traffic police said they are calling on the Emba village council to address the situation immediately, but also added that because no action has been taken by the village council yet, they have also notified the police chief Themistos Arnaoutis.

Emba mukhtar Marios Metaxas was asked about the matter by the Politis newspaper, and said that “more intensive repairs” are required as the road has been displaced and not simply subsided.

He said the road needs to be widened in the direction headed towards Tala, and safety that railings should be installed, as there is a stormwater drainage ditch which runs alongside the road in the affected section.

He added that the village council’s crews could do the repairs, or a call for tenders could be put out for a company to do the necessary work.