We didn't have a sinkhole plan, says fire chief

Some 30 families were forced to leave their homes after Godstone High Street partially collapsed in February

Emergency planners in Surrey did not have emergency plans in place for a sinkhole before a massive one appeared in Godstone.

Chief Fire Officer Dan Quin told BBC Radio Surrey the Surrey Prepared partnership, which he chairs, "didn't really have a plan for a sinkhole" prior to February.

That month homes were evacuated after a 65ft (20m) hole opened up on Godstone High Street, which has since been linked to a burst water main.

The county's local resilience forum has "a suite of plans that exist" but there was always "the potential for things to crop up that are new", Mr Quin said.

"These things happen, they arise, we identify them, we work together on a plan for how to resolve them in the future and how to protect people."

Godstone High Street is not expected to reopen until December, effectively cutting the village in half and drying up local businesses' passing trade.

Surrey County Council was among the public sector organisations that launched a public information campaign in September encouraging county residents and visitors to prepare for emergencies.

Mr Quin said authorities wanted to "make sure that Surrey residents are ready for anything".

It "certainly helps services" if people evacuate an at-risk area unassisted "rather than waiting for rescues to be required thereafter", he added.

In September, the government tested an unrelated national emergency alert system, which sends alerts to mobile phones where there is an imminent danger to life.