‘We’re terrified’: Large sinkhole shocks English villagers

Godstone: A large sinkhole has appeared in a southern English village, swallowing up at least one garden and forcing authorities to evacuate residents from about 30 homes.

The development of the sinkhole in the Surrey village of Godstone which appeared on Monday and had grown to at least 20 metres on Tuesday has been declared a major incident by local agencies.

The sinkhole in the road in Godstone, England. A second hole has appeared and the county council have declared a major incident.Credit: Getty Images

The BBC said the evacuated properties were built about three years ago on the site of a former sand quarry. Noosh Miri said her family was among those evacuated.

“We got a violent knocking on the door,” Miri said. “As I opened the door, it sounded like I was in a waterfall because the sinkhole was right in front of my doorstep.”

Another resident, Rez Mira, told the BBC his garden fell into the sinkhole: “It’s collapsed, the wall will come down, for sure... we’re terrified.”

Surrey County Council said investigations were ongoing and asked people to avoid the area while work was carried out. Residents from within the cordon were being supported with advice about accommodation, the council said.

The sinkhole in Godstone High Street in Surrey.Credit: Getty Images

“The Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet throughout this incident to ensure everything is being done to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible,” council assistant director for safer communities Carl Bussey said.

Structural experts were trying to figure out how to keep people and property safe and repair the damage, Bussey said.

The sinkhole was probably caused by a water main that burst under the road, geotechnical engineering expert Philip Collins said.

Collins, who is deputy dean of engingeering at Brunel University of London, said water pressure from the broken main probably washed away soil beneath the road and led to the collapse. He said the soil probably washed into sewers, which could cause other problems.

“One of the contributing factors is the local geology, which is sand, and the former land use which is a sand quarry that was located immediately to the west of the sinkhole,” Collins said. “Sand can be strong when compacted as the particles are packed together, but weak when it becomes wet, and particularly if there is a lot of water under pressure.”

The village is home to a series of caves left from a stone quarry that was in operation until the end of the 19th century. A spokesperson for the county said the mines weren’t near where the collapse occurred.

Collins said an ordnance survey map from 1868-69 shows an entrance to a subterranean sandpit near the sinkhole.

“While this has been infilled, it may have left a legacy of deeper, weaker soil,” he said.

SES Water has not commented on the cause of the break or the sinkhole. It said it had restored water to residents. Electricity has also been restored.

The company could not be reached by phone after-hours Wednesday and did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Reuters, AP

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