Godstone Street Swallowed Sinkhole May Have Hidden Damage Warns Expert

A big hole opened in Godstone on Monday, February 17. A sinkhole expert thinks more damage could be hidden, and about thirty homes have been evacuated after part of the street disappeared into the ground.

The hole keeps getting bigger, leading Surrey County Council to declare it a major incident and close off 100m around it. Consequently, Godstone High Street is shut to cars. The hole started after a water pipe broke.

The Surrey Local Resilience Forum is managing the situation, working to make the area safe and to fix both the ruptured water pipes and other damaged utilities.

Professor Peter Styles, a sinkhole expert, defines a sinkhole as any hole in the ground caused by subsurface activity. Burst pipes and very heavy rain can both wash away soil, creating these cavities where something underground is missing and moves upward.

Although Peter hasn’t seen the Godstone hole, he has extensive knowledge of sinkholes and tries to detect them early. He warned that there could be more holes developing down the road.

He suggests engineers carefully inspect the road to check for other hidden cavities and expressed concern about the hole’s growth direction. He also emphasized that Houses need a close look.

Luckily, the water pipe runs down the road’s center, not under the houses, which might limit the potential damage.

Examining photos, Peter noted potential signs of a former sand quarry, suggesting there might have been a quarry covered over later. He added that builders in the past, especially, didn’t consistently check ground well before building, lacking good instruments.

Peter believes the recovery time hinges on the threat to the houses. While fixing a road’s center hole would be simpler, he worries because the sinkhole is moving toward buildings; if it’s the only hole, fixing it could take a month.

SES restored water for customers in the RH1 and RH9 areas following the broken water pipe.

Carl Bussey from Surrey County Council, stated they are collaborating with emergency services, utility companies, and numerous other groups, with the primary goal of protecting people and property.

He urged people to avoid the area, promising updates as the situation evolves, and the Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet to ensure swift and safe solutions.