A major incident has been declared after a second sinkhole opened up in a street where a massive crater has already forced residents to evacuate.
A cordon is in place on Godstone High Street and the road has been closed between Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road after a 65ft crate opened up.
A small number of buildings have been evacuated amid fears of an explosion caused by exposed cables and some homes are currently without water.
The first sink hole appeared in the Surrey street on Monday, but it has since grown leading the county council to declare a major incident.
The second opening appears to have swallowed up a large chunk of the street, with a car teetering on the brink of plunging into it.
Homes in the road were built three years ago and sell for up to £500,000. The site is a former sand quarry and locals fear there could be caves underneath the estate.
The mayhem prompted a rapid response from the emergency services to evacuate families, amid fears properties could start toppling into the holes.
Noosh Miri and her loved ones were among those ordered to flee. ‘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 told the BBC.
‘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.’
Ms Miri is now sheltering in temporary accommodation found by their insurers.
However, she said the family was bracing themselves to remain out of their home for ‘a good couple of months’ while emergency crews deal with the two sinkholes.
Nicola and Damian Styles, who live on the affected street, said they were woken up by police knocking on their door and telling them to evacuate in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
‘We just sort of grabbed everything, the clothes on our back and our work laptops, and drove out quickly.
‘We didn’t know how long we were going to be out for.’
Another resident, Tracey Jones, says the situation has been ‘an absolute nightmare’.
This morning a helicopter could be seen circulating above the scene, with bright orange barriers blocking off the area.
Christine Duncan, 57, who has lived in her home just outside the cordon for over two decades, says she is still in shock at what has happened.
She said: ‘My husband was down the pub and saw a trickle of water. Then the sinkhole just suddenly appeared.
‘I have lived here for 24 years, and I have never seen anything like this before. I am still in shock. I can’t make heads or tails of it.
‘I think it is to do with the amount of lorries that drive through here. We are only a small village.
‘I am very worried about how long it is going to take to fix the road. My main concern is that there are a lot of vulnerable people around here and there is a care home just down the road.’
Graham Brookes, 94, has lived in his nearby home for nine years – but says he has been involved in the area for decades.
He agreed the main worry is for older people who will have to walk a long way to get around the cordon.
He added: ‘We realised something was wrong because the water pressure was down. Then we found out what had happened and realised how lucky we were to still have water.
‘It is not going to be an easy job to fix. It will affect everyone coming into Godstone.
‘The village will be very badly impacted by this. But we will get through it.’
Paul Ryan, 53, has lived in his home on the High Street for nine years. He said: ‘For the first 24 hours it was a major inconvenience. I was quite surprised, but this has been on the cards for a while.
‘The locals have been worried for a while about the HGVs going through the village. They use this road as a bypass to the M25 and come down at 60mph.’
A 40-year-old local, who wished to remain anonymous, said she fears her home will be the next to be evacuated.
The resident of five years said: ‘It is a very scary situation. The sinkhole is huge so we are quite worried that we are going to be evacuated.
‘The sinkhole will probably get even bigger which is terrifying. It is just a very upsetting time.’
The chaos began late on Monday when the first sinkhole – estimated to be 52ft long and 10ft wide – opened up.
SES Water said in a statement at 12.50am on Tuesday that it was aware of a burst water main pipe on Godstone High Street.
In an update, a spokesperson said that repairs were still taking place – and confirmed that the burst had ‘impacted water supplies to homes in the area’.
A frustrated local said on social media: ‘I hope you are aiming to set up water stations very soon… This is a joke.
‘We have vulnerable people in the community. The local shops are running out. Where is our water?’
News of the second void came on Wednesday morning.
As a result, a major incident was declared, with the operation now being managed by the Surrey Local Resilience Forum, with Surrey County Council (SCC) as the lead agency.
In a statement, Carl Bussey, the council’s assistant director for safer communities, said: ‘Residents from within the cordon – around 30 properties – are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation.’
Investigations remain ongoing to make the area safe and to repair utilities, SCC said.
Residents previously reported homes and businesses in the area were out of water.
Yesterday, SES Water asked locals to avoid Godstone High Street – and confirmed customers on their ‘priority service register’ will be delivered bottled water.
In an updated statement today, the water firm said it had restored supplies to affected properties in the area, but it warned water may appear discoloured.
The company said there was no risk to health and that customers would receive compensation in their bills.
‘Please continue to check our website for further updates. If you have an emergency, please call us on 01737 720000,’ the firm added in a previous statement.
The emergency comes amid a reported rise in the number of sinkholes ripping through streets across Britain.
Experts have blamed a rise in stormy weather and some of Britain’s ageing drainage system for causing leaks that lead to holes forming.
Martin Lambley, global product manager for Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin told : ‘The recent increase in sinkholes across Britain serves as a stark reminder of how vulnerable our urban environments are to the forces of nature, particularly as climate change drives more frequent and intense rainfall.
‘Extreme weather is placing increasing pressure on drainage systems, many of which were built in the Victorian era and not equipped to handle the volumes of water we now experience. When excess rainwater isn’t managed properly, it can seep into the ground, destabilising the soil, which leads to sinkholes.’
‘As we continue to develop urban areas, we’re making the landscape less permeable, which reduces the ground’s ability to absorb water. To address this, we need to prioritise sustainable drainage systems that manage water more effectively, storing it and releasing it back into the environment in a controlled way.
‘By echoing the natural water cycle, we can prevent erosion, reduce the risk of sinkholes and most importantly, make our urban spaces more resilient to the effects of extreme weather.’
‘Ultimately, we need to rethink how we handle water if we’re to avoid the devastating consequences that sinkholes and other issues bring.’