Major incident declared after second sinkhole opens up on residential Surrey street

19 February 2025, 12:15 | Updated: 19 February 2025, 12:58

A major incident has been declared after a second large sinkhole opened up on residential Surrey street just metres from one that appeared on Tuesday.

Police initially evacuated a number of properties and a 100-metre cordon was put in place on Tuesday shortly after the sinkhole on Godstone High Street.

Surrey Police said on Tuesday that Godstone High Street was closed following reports of the hole emerging on Monday night.

Now, a second sinkhole has emerged, with images appearing to show a large chunk of the street missing.

With the scene remaining cordoned off, a single car can be seen teetering on the brink of the crater, with the sinkhole swallowing up much of one homeowner's front drive.

A relatively new development, homes on the street were only built around three years ago, with the homes situated on the site of a former sand quarry.

The larger of the holes initially measured around 10-meters in length, before expanding to measure around 20-meters in length and 6-meters in width.

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One local described how his back garden collapsed.

"I'm going to have to figure out where to live now," said one resident as he surveyed the damage.

Surrey County Council has declared a major incident and local residents have been urged to avoid the area while repair work is being carried out.

Another described the scene as something from a television show, describing the "utter panic" that set in as the hole began to open up.

SES Water said one of its water main pipes had burst in Godstone High Street which triggered the hole.

The council said they will be contacting individuals on the "most vulnerable" list who have been affected in the area.

It's understood that the water supply has returned to houses in the area following the burst water main.

However, it's thought repairs on the holes could take months.

Many of the residents were evacuated following the incident on Monday night, with some taken to local hotels and others sleeping in their cars neaby.

Locals in the area have described how the village of Gladstone is built on "caves", which locals claim may have contributed to the incident.

This has not been confirmed by the local council.