Families return home after sinkhole swallows road

Six families have been allowed to return to their homes after a sinkhole swallowed a large part of a Surrey road.

Residents from 30 properties in Godstone were told to evacuate in the early hours of Tuesday after the hole appeared in the village overnight.

Tandridge District Council leader Catherine Sayer said it was considering whether other families could be allowed home.

Families had previously said they had been left "homeless" by the sinkhole and had "no idea" when they would be allowed 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.

A spokesperson for Tandridge District Council (TDC) added that affected residents and businesses would not need to pay council tax or business rates while they were unable to use their properties.

Families had been forced to leave their homes after a 100m cordon was put in place after a second sinkhole appeared in Godstone High Street.

A major incident was previously declared but this is now being referred to as a "significant incident".

An 87-year-old man told BBC Radio Surrey he would remain in his home only metres from the sinkholes.

Bren Davis said he had lived in his property, approximately 60ft (18m) opposite the sinkhole, all his life and despite having no water, he and his wife do not want to leave.

He said: "I'm staying put."

Mr Davis said he was confident his house was stable and that it was built by his grandfather.

"There are more bricks below our house than above," he said.

Mr Davis has had three "helpful" visits from the police, but nobody has ordered him to leave, he said.

He has an escape plan if anything goes wrong, he said.

"If we have a problem, we have a back entrance so we can run out that way," he added.

Godstone Farm's chief executive, Nicola Henderson, said the farm was left without water on Tuesday before receiving water bowsers.

Although the animals are her priority, she worries visitors will be put off by disruption to the village in the long term.

She said: "There's a lot at stake here."

Garage owner Shane Fry told BBC Radio Surrey he believed customers would soon be allowed to limited access to the High Street.

Surrey County Council said: "Any decision to move the cordon back will depend on the outcome of technical safety assessments over the coming days."

Residents said on Thursday they feared they would be homeless for months.

The first hole appeared late on Monday night when a water pipe burst, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime.

TDC said on Thursday: "The sinkhole in Godstone remains a significant incident and we continue to work closely with our partners to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

"The response is now being led by TDC, with ongoing support from the Surrey Local Resilience Forum, which includes Surrey County Council."

A spokesperson for SES Water confirmed it had "restored water supplies to all customers in the area" and was working with other agencies involved in the incident.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, external, on X, external and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk, external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.