Godstone: Huge sinkhole swallows up more of Surrey street

A huge sinkhole in a street is 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.

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 remain ongoing 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.”

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

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.