Godstone: Huge sinkhole swallows up more of Surrey street

A huge sinkhole in a street in Surrey is continuing to grow and swallow up more road, with the county council declaring a major incident.

The original hole first appeared in Godstone High Street late on Monday night, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime.

A second opening has now appeared, with a car teetering on the brink and the owner unable to move it.

Families have been evacuated from their homes over fears of an explosion caused by exposed cables, with one resident saying the street now "sounded like a waterfall".

The evacuated properties were built about three years ago, on the site of a former sand quarry.

Local residents also believe there are caves underneath the area.

Noosh Miri and her family were among those evacuated from the area by police.

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

"The policewoman told us we needed to get out straight away, and in the space of 10 minutes, we got the kids dressed, we grabbed the nearest things that we could find."

The family have now been found temporary accommodation by their insurers, but she said she was prepared "for a good couple of months" before being able to move back in.

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Ms Miri added: "Our house is not secure at all. At the moment we don't know the extent of the damage but we do know we won't be going home for some time."

She later suggested the sink hole could be linked to mining caves as well as heavy-loaded vehicles which sometimes made their home "rattle" when they came past.

Around seven miles of tunnels sit beneath Godstone, according to the charity Surrey Hills Society.

Ms Miri added: "We think it's a combination of different things that have led to here – it's not a simple burst pipe or the caves or lorries."

Pete Burgess, of the Wealden Cave and Mines Society, said a quarry marked "sand pit" can be seen on 19th century maps of land directly under the sinkhole.

He added that sand from the pit was dug out and used for building and gardening purposes.

Other residents said the sinkhole had opened adjacent to "brand new flats" which had been built in the area.

Another added that they had been forced to sleep in their car in a nearby car park after being evacuated in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Businesses in the area, including Godstone Pharmacy, said many shops had closed and that staff had been making deliveries on foot to ensure vulnerable customers received their medication.

Staff member Mrulal Gudadhe said the business had seen nearly no customers walk through the door since Monday.

He added: "The pharmacy is completely dead. There are no people. Streets are empty and everything is closed. But we are open, we are still working."

As a result of the major incident, the operation is now being managed by Surrey Local Resilience Forum, with Surrey County Council (SCC) as the lead agency.

Investigations were continuing to make the area safe and to repair utilities, SCC said.

Carl Bussey, the council's assistant director for safer communities, said: "Residents from within the cordon – around 30 properties – are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation."

In an updated statement, Mr Bussey added that properties in the wider area "have access to water and power as normal" and affected properties had been confined to within the cordon.

More permanent repairs will be carried out "once the site is deemed safe to work in", he added.

The Environment Agency said there was no evidence of pollution caused by the hole.

Godstone MP Claire Coutinho thanked engineers for their work and said her team would be in "regular contact" with Tandridge Council and Surrey County Council to ensure those evacuated "receive the necessary support in the coming days and weeks".

On Wednesday morning, SES Water said it had restored supplies to properties, but warned water may appear discoloured.

The company said there was no risk to health and customers would receive compensation in their bills.

Repairs are expected to take several months.

The cause of the sinkhole remains unclear, but experts at the British Geological Survey (BGS) say it could be caused by a burst water main.

Andrew Farrant, BGS regional geologist in south east England, says that weak sandstone lies beneath the village and this would normally be stable, but if there was a sudden influx of water it could "flush out weak sandstone bedrock".

The BGS has, however, ruled out the most common cause of sinkholes in the region which is the dissolving of chalk underground.

Godstone is located on the edge of the North Downs, where there is an underlaying band of chalk rock.

In the Tandridge District, the chalk is also overlain with younger clay-with-flint deposits and sandstone.

Carbon dioxide from air dissolves in rainwater and this forms a weak carbonic acid which drips through the rock and into the chalk.

As the acid dissolves the chalk, this will create a cavity below the younger rock - which appears to be stable.

When this collapses into the cavity, this causes a "dropout" sinkhole, which may be what is happening in Godstone.

Locals have also suggested that caves previously dug for mining below the chalk have played a role - where the dissolved chalk might have collapsed into the caves.

Additional reporting by Science reporter Esme Stallard.