A 65 foot sinkhole in Godstone prompts evacuations and a major incident declaration.
They put up a 100-metre area around the sinkhole. By Tuesday, it was roughly 65 feet wide. The BBC reported a second sinkhole opened nearby on Wednesday. People should avoid the area and not return home yet.
Police closed the village between two roads: Oxted Road and Bletchingly Road. A water pipe burst on Monday, and it belonged to SSE. SSE is working with emergency services to fix the problem rapidly.
SSE apologized for water outages and some homes had no water. Water service is back, but it could be discolored. The council declared a major incident, which lets them use all resources and call on partner agencies to solve the sinkhole problem.
Noosh Miri lives next to the sinkhole and thinks heavy traffic caused it. She said heavy lorries shake her house. Nicola and Damian Styles live on the high street, and police woke them up after midnight.
They were told to leave due to a gas explosion risk. They drove to Nicola’s sister’s house in Purley. They grabbed clothes and work laptops, unsure how long the evacuation would last.
The couple returned home Tuesday afternoon, but they might have to leave again. They feel like they are “playing by chance” because the sinkhole is still growing.
Kevin Boll also lives on the high street. He waited until 1 AM for updates, and police said he might need to evacuate. His water suddenly went off, and police and fire engines soon arrived.
He saw a big hole in the ground and said it happened very fast. Officials are handling the situation, and he thinks it will take a while. No one expected this problem.
The area between the roads stays closed. People don’t know when they can return home, and they also don’t know if they will have to leave again.