Large Sinkhole Emerges in English Village, Dozens Evacuated

Large Sinkhole Emerges in English Village, Dozens Evacuated

A large sinkhole has appeared in the southern English village of Godstone, swallowing at least one garden and leading authorities to evacuate residents from around 30 homes.The sinkhole, which appeared on Monday and expanded to at least 20 meters by Tuesday, has been declared a major incident by local authorities.The BBC reported that the affected properties were built about three years ago on the site of a former sand quarry. One of the residents, Noosh Miri, described the moment her family was evacuated. “We got a violent knock 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 that his garden had fallen into the sinkhole. “It’s collapsed, the wall will come down, for sure… we’re terrified,” he said.Surrey County Council (SCC) stated that investigations were underway and urged people to avoid the area while work continued. The council is providing advice on accommodation for evacuated residents.Carl Bussey from SCC said, “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.”In the early hours of Tuesday, SES Water reported a burst water main in Godstone High Street. By Wednesday, it confirmed that supplies had been restored to affected properties, and electricity had also been restored.