Sinkhole opens up on the main street of an English village

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LONDON (AP) — Residents in an English village were kept out of their homes Wednesday as experts tried to shore up a large sinkhole that swallowed up parts of the main street up to the edge of at least two residential buildings.

Surrey County officials declared a major incident Tuesday after the hole opened up on Godstone High Street in the town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of London.

The sinkhole likely was caused by a water main that burst under the road, said Philip Collins, the deputy dean of engineering at Brunel University of London.

Residents of about 30 buildings were evacuated Tuesday because of fears the collapse could rupture gas pipes and cause an explosion. Homes in the area lost their water supply for more than a day.

“It’s an absolute nightmare. Dreadful,” said Tracey Jones, whose daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were evacuated.

Structural experts were trying to figure out how to keep people and property safe and repair the damage, said Carl Bussey, the Surrey County Council assistant director for safer communities.

Collins, who is an expert in geology and geotechnical engineering, said water pressure from the broken main probably washed away soil beneath the road and led to the collapse. He said the soil likely washed into sewers, which could cause other problems.

“One of the contributing factors is the local geology, which is sand, and the former land use which is a sand quarry that was located immediately to the west of the sinkhole,” Collins said. “Sand can be strong when compacted as the particles are packed together, but weak when it becomes wet, and particularly if there is a lot of water under pressure.”

The village is home to a series of caves left from a stone quarry that was in operation until the end of the 19th century. A spokesperson for the county said the mines weren’t near where the collapse occurred.

But Collins said an ordnance survey map from 1868-69 shows an entrance to a subterranean sand pit near the sinkhole.

“While this has been infilled, it may have left a legacy of deeper, weaker soil,” he said.

SES Water has not commented on the cause of the break or the sinkhole. It said it had restored water to residents Wednesday.

The company could not be reached by phone after-hours Wednesday and did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.