Why recent heavy rainfall has triggered sinkholes

Three homes have been evacuated in a street in North Yorkshire after a 25ft-wide (7.5m) sinkhole opened.

It is the latest in a series of similar incidents, including a 15ft-wide (4.5m) sinkhole opening in a driveway in High Wycombe on 2 February and a similar sized hole opening in the central reservation of the M2 motorway in Kent, last week.

Dr Vanessa Banks, from the British Geological Survey, explained to the BBC why recent heavy rainfall had led to an "increased number" of sinkholes.