Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

That's all we've got time for today - thanks for spending the last few hours in our company. 

We're back again with our Local Live service from 07:00 on Friday.    

In the meantime here's a summary of the main story we've been following today: the overnight appearance of a huge sinkhole, estimated to be about 50ft by 30ft wide, on Ripon's Magdalen's Road.

Fire crews evacuated seven homes on the road at about 22:30, leaving one resident, Ben Bramley, concerned about the future.

"We're being told the house is likely to be structurally unsafe for some time. We might even be officially homeless," he says.

Meanwhile, another resident, Frances O'Neil has talked about the moment she discovered the back garden of her Ripon home has completely disappeared.

Investigations continue into the sinkhole and the safety of the homes it's affected.

We'll bring you up-to-date tomorrow, meanwhile go here for any further developments today.

Jonathan Cowap
Presenter, BBC Radio York

Here's an interesting turn on getting the kids to sleep.

Researchers at the University of York are looking for volunteers aged between 8 and 12 years of age to go to sleep.

It's for a project called SleepSmart, external which is aimed at understanding the role of sleep in memory.

Intrigued? Victoria Knowland, from the university, has been telling me more:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

The Yorkshire Museum in York is to buy the largest Roman coin hoard of its type ever discovered in the north of England.

Image source, Yorkshire Museum

More than 1,800 Roman coins were discovered near Scarborough by a metal detector enthusiast. 

The museum has raised £44,000, which ensures the find can stay on display there.

Andrew Woods, from the Yorkshire Museum, says he's "thrilled" by the response to the appeal.

"We would like to thank every single person who gave to this appeal and has helped make sure this wonderful collection of coins will stay in Yorkshire and in public collections," he says.

Phil Bodmer
Journalist, BBC Look North

I'm at the scene of the huge sinkhole which appeared overnight in Ripon.

Frances O'Neil is one of the residents who's been forced to leave their homes due to the hole.

She's been telling me more about the moment she discovered the back garden of her Ripon home has disappeared.

Paul Hudson
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

This afternoon will see sunny spells and scattered showers.

The top temperature will be about 7C (45F) with a moderate westerly wind.

Engineers are now on site as investigations continue into the appearance of a large sinkhole in Ripon.

Meanwhile, fire and rescue teams have returned to the scene with experts to assess what the likely outcome of the sinkhole might be.

Station Manager Ben Cairns says at the moment there are no plans to evacuate any more properties in the area.

However, he's told BBC Radio York's Joanita Musisi that for the time being residents of four of the homes affected will not be able to return to their homes any time soon. 

This is what he's had to say:

BBC Radio York

The headlines from our York newsroom this lunchtime include:

• Investigations continue in Ripon after seven homes were evacuated overnight after the appearance of a large sinkhole behind a row of houses in Ripon
• A search is launched after a sex offender goes missing after failing to appear in court and who is now believed to be in North Yorkshire 
• The Yorkshire Museum in York is to buy the largest Roman coin hoard of its type ever discovered in the north of England

Phil Bodmer
Journalist, BBC Look North

Here's the latest picture of the scene on Magdalen's Road in Ripon where a large sinkhole opened up at about 22:30 last night.

This picture really gives you an idea of the scale of the gaping hole which led to the evacuation of seven properties:

A sex offender has gone missing, external after failing to appear in court on Wednesday to be sentenced for a number of sexual offences.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Andrew Robinson, 65, failed to appear at Newcastle Crown Court and was last seen in York yesterday morning.

He's now believed to be in the Ravenscar or Whitby area and is believed to be carrying a large green rucksack.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police are assisting West Yorkshire Police in the search, and anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to get in touch as soon as possible.

The headlines from our York newsroom so far this morning include:

• Seven homes are evacuated after a large sinkhole opens up behind a row of houses in Ripon
• The Yorkshire Museum in York is to buy the largest Roman coin hoard of its type ever discovered in the north of England
• A sex offender has gone missing and is believed to be in North Yorkshire after failing to appear in court to be sentenced for a number of sexual offences.  

BBC Radio York

I've been speaking to one of the landlords of the Magdalens Pub in Ripon, on the corner of Magdalen's Road where a large sinkhole appeared last night.

Eamon Parkin says people who'd been evacuated from seven homes affected by the sinkhole took shelter there and drank tea and coffee until the very early hours.

Mr Parkin says he's "very concerned by the opening of another huge sinkhole" and wonders where the next one will appear.

An earlier sinkhole appeared just down the road in February 2014, leading to the demolition of a house which was too severely damaged to be saved.

Mr Parkin told me he's noticed a visible change to the landscape in the Magdalen's Road area in recent years:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

We've been looking at what causes sinkholes this morning, after one measuring approximately 50ft by 30ft wide appeared overnight in the gardens of houses on Magdalen's Road in Ripon.

Florida, it seems, is particularly prone to such holes as the entire state has limestone underneath it.

The one pictured below opened up behind the home of Jeffrey Bush whose house had to be demolished as a result:

Image source, AP

Typically, rainfall seeps through the soil, absorbing carbon dioxide and reacting with decaying vegetation. As a result, the water that reaches the soluble rock is acidic.

The acidic water causes the erosion of the soluble rock layers beneath the surface - eventually creating cavernous spaces.

There are warning signs in urban areas. These include doors and windows failing to close properly, or cracks appearing in the foundations of houses. In some cases ground movement can even be detected.

Joanita Musisi
Reporter, BBC Radio York

I'm in Ripon this morning where a 50ft sinkhole has appeared overnight on Magdalen's Road, leading to the evacuation of seven houses.  

The hole's spread across two gardens, is currently of an unknown depth, and is quite a sight to see.

Ben Bramley, one of the residents who's been forced to leave their homes due to the hole, has let me get really close to have a look and he describes the scene:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

Seven homes were evacuated in Ripon last night after a large sinkhole appeared in their back gardens.

Emergency crews were called to Magdalen's Road at about 22:30 after the hole, estimated to be about 50ft by 30ft wide and of an "unknown" depth, appeared.

Ben Bramley, one of the residents who had to leave their homes, says he heard what sounded like a landslip.

"It was a real mess out there. It's a huge hole that runs from our back door to the garage and it's about 20ft deep," he says.

Image source, bbc

Mr Bramley says everyone's shocked by the appearance of the hole and he's concerned he may be left homeless as the affected houses have been deemed structurally unsafe.

In February 2014, another sinkhole appeared just round the corner at Magdalen's Close which led to the demolition of one property.

According to the British Geological Society, Ripon is a well-known hotspot for sinkholes because of several underground deposits of gypsum, a highly soluble rock, which are slowly dissolving.

Fire crews and council experts are due back at the scene this morning to assess the situation.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

We've been following developments in Ripon this morning, where a huge sinkhole has appeared very close to houses on Magdalen's Road.

The hole's believed to be 50ft by 30ft and has led to the evacuation of seven properties as it's spread across two gardens and is an "unknown" depth, according to the fire service.

Here are some more incredible pictures from the scene:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

We've been talking all morning about the sinkhole which has appeared overnight on Magdalen's Road in Ripon.

Here's the evidence that it really is a very big one indeed:

Image source, bbc

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

A large sinkhole has appeared overnight in Ripon, but what usually causes them to appear?

This latest hole, which is reported to be about 50ft by 30ft across, appeared last night in gardens on Magdalen's Road.

That's just round the corner from a previous sinkhole which appeared in 2014 which caused severe damage to one house.

Sinkholes, or dolines, often take thousands of years to form and vary hugely in size.

Image source, AFP

The deepest is China's Xiaozhai Tienkeng (pictured above) at 2,172ft, while the Qattara Depression in Egypt is roughly 50 miles by 75 miles in surface size.  

But often sinkholes can be only a few metres in diameter.

They are usually the result of what are known as Karst processes. They happen when a layer of rock underneath the ground is dissolved by acidic water.

Joanita Musisi
Reporter, BBC Radio York

I'm in Ripon this morning where a 50ft sinkhole has appeared overnight on Magdalen's Road, leading to the evacuation of seven houses.

I've just spoken to Ben Bramley who owns the house most affected by the hole. He tells me his whole garden has disappeared. 

He says: "Last night we heard what sounded like a landslip. I went out and my neighbour was out there in her dressing gown and it was a real mess." 

Image source, Google

"It's a huge hole that runs from our back door to the garage and it's about 20ft deep," adds Ben.

At the moment Ben says he's shocked by what's happened and is very concerned about the future.

"We're being told the house is likely to be structurally unsafe for some time. We might even be officially homeless," he says.

BBC Weather

Moving away from this morning's big story for a moment, the big sinkhole which has appeared in Ripon, here's a look at today's weather:

We're seeing a cold start with showers and risk of some icy patches, but it'll become brighter with sunny spells.

There is still the chance of occasional heavy, perhaps thundery, showers - particularly near the coast. 

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

With news that a large sinkhole has appeared in Ripon overnight, here's what we know so far:

• Fire crews were called to Magdalen's Road at about 22:30 on Wednesday night
• The hole was discovered to be about 50ft by 30ft wide and of an "unknown" depth
• Seven properties were evacuated due to the hole which is spread across two gardens
• This hole is just a short distance away from the site of a previous sinkhole
• Fire crews and council experts are due back at the hole this morning to assess the situation