Major incident declared over sinkhole swallowing up Surrey street

Summary

A huge sinkhole in a street in Surrey is continuing to grow and swallow up more road - a major incident has been declared
Families have been evacuated from their homes over fears of an explosion - "we just grabbed everything, and drove out quickly," one resident recalls
Another resident, who only moved into his property on the street last week, says he slept in his car half a mile down the road after being evacuated
The original hole first appeared in Godstone High Street late on Monday night - our correspondent Adrian Harms says it's grown to at least 65ft (20m) long since
A second hole has opened up, with a car teetering on the edge and the owner unable to move it
Press watch live above to see the latest aerial footage

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Drone video captures extent of expanding sinkhole

Live Reporting

Edited by Malu Cursino, with Tom Symonds and Adrian Harms reporting from the scene

Car teeters on the edgepublished at 12:19 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
A car can be seen teetering on the edge of the sinkhole, with its wheels just a few inches away from the eroded tarmac.
Our understanding is the car's owner is away, and all the flats nearby have been evacuated.
Image source, Adrian Harms / BBC
Image source, Adrian Harms / BBC
Water supply restored to residentspublished at 12:07 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
On Wednesday morning, SES Water said it had restored supplies to affected properties in the area, but warned water may appear discoloured.
The company said there was no risk to health and that customers would receive compensation in their bills.
Residents suggest historic mining and heavy traffic worsened conditionspublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
Tom Symonds
Reporting from the scene
As to the causes of the sinkhole, local residents are suggesting two big factors.
Firstly, the history of mine working underneath the village of Godstone, which is well-known and marked on historical maps.
Secondly, people are talking about the heavy traffic through the town.
One says the road has been patched up many times, but big lorries thundering through really don’t help.
Road will be shut for some time after second sinkhole appearspublished at 11:41 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
Adrian Harms
BBC Radio Surrey, reporting from the scene
At the scene, you can see the size of the sinkhole, which is about 20m in length and 6m wide.
And that has spread overnight as well.
Separately, there is another sinkhole that has appeared.
Needless to say, this road is shut and we’ve been advised by Surrey County Council that it will remain shut for some considerable period of time.
Helicopter shots show gaping hole right beside houses - watch latest footagepublished at 11:40 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
While we continue to bring you text updates, you can see the extent of the damage to Godstone High Street by tapping the watch live button at the top of this page.
Dramatic images - taken from a news helicopter above - show the various holes that have appeared.
You can also see the many barricades that have been put in place to deter passers-by from entering any areas deemed unsafe.
As a reminder, the hole first appeared on Monday and, as of today, a second opening has now appeared.
What do we know about the street, and the operation to save it?published at 11:33 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
Image source, PA Media
Well, the evacuated properties were built about three years ago, on the site of a former sand quarry.
Local residents have also told BBC News they believe there are caves underneath the area.
As a result of the major incident that's been declared, the operation is being managed by Surrey Local Resilience Forum and Surrey County Council (SCC).
Investigations to make the area safe and to repair utilities are ongoing, SCC said.
Meanwhile, Carl Bussey, the council's assistant director for safer communities, says: "Residents from within the cordon - around 30 properties - are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation."
'Police told us to get out straight away'published at 11:25 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
We've a bit more for you now on the families who've been evacuated from their homes on the street over fears of an explosion caused by exposed cables.
Noosh Miri and her family were among those evacuated from the area by police.
"We got a violent knocking on the door. As I opened the door, it sounded like I was in a waterfall because the sinkhole was right in front of my doorstep," she said.
"The policewoman told us we needed to get out straight away, and in the space of 10 minutes, we got the kids dressed, we grabbed the nearest things that we could find."
Dramatic images show extent of the damagepublished at 11:22 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
Image source, Reuters
Image source, BBC / Adrian Harms
Image source, BBC / Adrian Harms
Image caption,
The sinkhole had grown to 65ft (20m) by Tuesday lunchtime
Sinkhole continues to swallow up residential street in Surreypublished at 11:20 Greenwich Mean Time 19 February
Breaking
A huge sinkhole - which first appeared on a street in Surrey on Monday - has grown, leading the county council to declare a major incident.
The original hole first appeared in Godstone High Street late on Monday night, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime.
A second opening has now appeared and families have been evacuated from their homes.
Stay with us for more.