A business owner in east Suffolk is furious with highways bosses after a “huge” hole outside his restaurant was left unattended for 11 days –despite repeated complaints.

Hakif Duzgun, owner of the Cumberland Fish Bar in Woodbridge, claims he first reported the pothole to Suffolk County Council on April 26 after growing concerned about the potential dangers to his customers and passersby.

Despite a visit from the highways team and another from Anglian Water, no action was taken to make the hole safe until 11 days later – when it was fenced off.

“I called the council; they said it’s not their job, Anglian Water said it wasn’t theirs – no one is claiming responsibility,” he said.

“It’s very dangerous and with all the tourists coming to visit over the bank holiday weekend it doesn’t give a very good impression.”

As an area of town often visited when the pubs close, Mr Duzgun felt the hole was likely to cause someone serious injury. After growing impatient with the lack of action, he took safety matters into his own hands and placed one of his restaurant’s chairs over the hole to prevent people falling in – only to find it stolen the following day.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council has explained the delays as arising from investigations held with Anglian Water into the cause of the hole.

“It would be counter-productive to begin any sort of work at this site until a full investigation has been carried out,” the spokesman said.

“The barriers have been put in place to ensure the public are kept safe and will allow further works to be carried out quickly and efficiently.”

Geoff Holdcroft, the newly appointed mayor of Woodbridge, said he was disappointed with the delays in dealing with the hole, although he recognised the challenges faced by the county council.

“The town council is very mindful that we want both the visitors and residents to have an enjoyable when they shop in Woodbridge,” he said.