Large sinkhole forces closure of Godstone High Street in Surrey

A large sinkhole has opened up in a Surrey village - forcing the high street to be closed.

Some water supplies to homes were affected after a water pipe burst.

Godstone High Street was shut between the Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road junctions, Surrey Police said after reports of the sinkhole emerged on Monday night.

A small number of buildings were evacuated as a precaution and a 100m cordon was put in place.

The sinkhole measured up to 62ft (19m), according to reports, but this has not been confirmed by authorities.

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.

Godstone resident Sarah Dennis told Sky News' Matt Barbet on The UK Tonight her home's water supply has been cut off even though she lives around half a mile away.

She said the sinkhole is "getting bigger and bigger and more homes are being evacuated".

Those forced to leave their homes have "no idea when they will be able to go back or even when they can get their personal possessions".

'A lot of large lorries'

Back in 2019, there was a "slight sinkhole" in the same place, she said, and the village is "right next to the M25", meaning there are "a lot of large lorries using the road regularly".

"It's really scary to think that's the road all the schoolchildren go down during school time," she said. "Thankfully, we're on half-term at the moment, but it doesn't even bear thinking of what could have happened."

Nicola and Damian Styles, 46 and 44, live in Godstone High Street and said they were woken up by police knocking on their door at about half past midnight on Tuesday morning, who told them to evacuate their home because there was a risk of a gas explosion.

"It was a shock," Mrs Styles said.

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

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

An 'absolute nightmare'

Alan and Tracey Jones, 75 and 61, who also live in the high street, 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.

Mrs Jones 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."

Carl Bussey, from Surrey County Council, said around 30 properties are within the cordon affected by the hole and those living there "are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation".

'Multi-agency response'

SES Water said one of its main water pipes had burst in the high street and apologised for the disruptionon.

In an update on Wednesday, the company said: "Surrey County Council is now leading a multi-agency response to the sinkhole in Godstone.

"We're pleased to have restored water supplies to all customers in the area and continue to work closely with the other agencies involved in this incident."

Avoid the area

In a post on Facebook, Surrey Police said: "If you are in the area, please follow the directions of the emergency services.

"There is currently a large emergency services presence in the area. The road is likely to be closed for an extended period of time - please avoid the area if you can."

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Last month, a sinkhole the size of a small swimming pool opened up in Japan, swallowing a truck and trapping its driver.

In December, a sinkhole appeared on a housing estate near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, while in Pennsylvania the body of a woman who fell into a sinkhole was found.

(c) Sky News 2025: Large sinkhole forces closure of Godstone High Street in Surrey