A new update has been issued to residents of Godstone, Surrey after a huge 62ft sinkhole opened up in the middle of their village, forcing dozens of homes to be evacuated
A local council has issued a new update to residents after a huge 62ft crater opened up in the middle of their street – forcing them to flee their homes.
The large sinkhole appeared in the small village of Godstone, Surrey, on Monday night, causing residents from 30 properties to be evacuated and forcing roads to close. Since then, people living in the area have complained of a lack of information from authorities – while some evacuees say they have been told they may have to wait as long as three months before they can return home.
In a fresh update on Friday, Catherine Sayer, leader of Tandridge District Council, said one household that had been previously evacuated has been allowed to return to its property. The council is currently assessing whether any other families could also go home, she added.
Explaining why one househol has been permitted to return, the councillor said: “The property is not near the sinkhole and has been assessed by a multi-agency technical team. They deemed it is suitable for the household to return. We are reviewing the list of evacuated households to consider if any other families could be allowed to return home.”
Ms Sayer previously said she was “very sorry” if anyone felt let down by the level of support from the local authority, adding the council had been “doing their best” to keep residents informed. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sarah Lewis – who lives on the road affected and was evacuated along with her two daughters aged four and six – said she felt “extremely stressed” about when she may be allowed back home.
The 36-year-old said the council had told her it could be between two to four months until the family may be able to return home and that they are currently staying in an Airbnb. She criticised the council for a “black hole of information”, adding that residents had been left to “fend for themselves”.
Local businesses have also been hit. Ifesi Anyamene, 50, who owns a pharmacy near the edge of the cordoned-off roads, said on Thursday that her business had received many calls from customers who were “scared and worried” about whether it was safe to collect their medicine. She said: “We’ve had to reassure people that it’s safe.”
Dana Hussein, 39, who owns a barber shop on Godstone High Street, said he was “worried” about the impact of the sinkhole on his business and that, so far this week, he has only had a few customers as people are staying away from the area. He added: “If that road was closed for three to six months, it would affect our business because we would lose all the customers for six months.”
On Thursday, Matt Furniss, the cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth at the county council, said properties surrounding the sinkhole have been declared stable for now and that the investigation into the incident “may take months”.
He confirmed a second sinkhole appeared in a property’s front garden on Tuesday afternoon, which is thought to be linked to the first. Tandridge District Council previously said it understood there were “historical sandpits” in the area and that the site was being assessed by structural experts.
