Major incident declared after massive sinkhole opens up inches from houses

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A huge sinkhole that opened up in a Surrey village has forced a high street to close and a local council to declare a major incident.

Residents got home on Monday night to find the gaping abyss that had cracked through the tarmac on Godstone High Street.

Some homes were evacuated and a cordon was put in place, with people warned to stay away from the 62ft dangerous gap.

It emerged after a water pipe burst and some homes were left without water.

Nicola and Damian Styles, 46 and 44, live on the road and were told to evacuate their homes.

‘It was a shock,’ Nicola said.

‘My sister lives in Purley so we just drove there in the middle of the night.’

Damian said: ‘We just sort of grabbed everything, the clothes on our back and our work laptops, and drove out quickly.

? Licensed to London News Pictures. 18/02/2025. Godstone, UK. Workers surround a sinkhole that has opened up on the High Street/A25 in Godstone in Surrey. Traffic is being diverted and nearby building have been evacuated as a precaution. Photo credit: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP — Workers surround a sinkhole that has opened up on the High Street in Godstone (Picture: LNP)

The scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night. The large sinkhole has forced the closure of the high street in the Surrey village. Surrey Police said on Tuesday that Godstone High Street was closed between Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road. The force added that a small number of buildings were evacuated as a precaution and a 100-metre cordon was put in place. Picture date: Tuesday February 18, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Sinkhole. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire — The scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night (Picture: PA)

‘We didn’t know how long we were going to be out for.’

The couple are now staying at their home after they came back to collect a few things yesterday.

Nicola added: ‘No one’s organised the communications, or keeping the residents informed.

‘They should have really given us a help desk number to call, or something.’

Alan and Tracey Jones, 75 and 61, live on the road, took in their daughter, her husband, and their baby girl at midnight on Tuesday after police told them to evacuate their flat across the road, whose building now stands on the edge of the sinkhole.

Tracey said: ‘It’s an absolute nightmare. Dreadful.

‘They (the family) arrived at midnight – the police started to evacuate because there was a fear of a gas explosion.’

Alan said: ‘It’s very concerning, and you know it’s a massive incident because of all the guys that are down here and all the utility companies are here.’

Kevin Boll, 62, lives on the end of the road and stayed up until 1am on Tuesday waiting for an update after he was told to evacuate.

He said: ‘What did scare me is that I’ve seen the size of the hole, and what was going on out there, and I’ve seen the amount of services that were here.

‘Houses were evacuated because I’ve heard from the police that there was a possibility of a gas explosion.

‘They’re saying that they’re handling it – but it’s going to take a while. It’s a big job. It’s something massive to have happened.

‘No one has seen this coming. No one has seen this coming at all. Not this massive sinkhole, when there’s brand new flats just adjacent to it as well.’

Carl Bussey, from Surrey County Council, said: ‘We are working together with emergency services and utility companies, as well as our highways colleagues and Tandridge District Council, to protect the public and property in the area.

‘Investigations are continuing to make the area safe and to repair utilities, and we ask that people remain away from the vicinity while that important work is ongoing.

‘We will keep people updated as the situation develops.

‘Residents from within the cordon – around 30 properties – are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation.

‘Highways diversions are also in place.

‘The Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet throughout this incident to ensure everything is being done to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.’

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