Sinkhole roads chaos could crucify us, trader says
The owner of a garage in a village where two large sinkholes appeared has expressed concern over the affect of road closures on businesses.
The holes appeared in the centre of Godstone, Surrey, overnight on Monday last week, with the largest hole reaching 65ft (20m) long.
Homes have been evacuated and a public meeting on Wednesday heard it could take up to 12 months to repair the road.
Garage owner Shane Fry told BBC Radio Surrey disruption over that time "could crucify a business".
He said: "Trying to work out logistics of how we stay open has been extremely difficult.
"We can deal with anywhere between 15 and 20 cars a day. It's fairly hectic on a normal week."
But he added he was hopeful things would improve quickly.
"Once we get through the logistics of how our businesses can sustain a normal day I think it'll just become the new norm," he said.
"And once everyone gets used to it, businesses will carry on surviving."
Tandridge District Council's leader, Catherine Sayer, said she believed Surrey County Council understood from the meeting how important it was to improve access and signage for businesses that were affected.
The district council, which is also housing some families in emergency accommodation, said with a timescale in place, long-term plans can now be made.
"I know some of the residents have sourced Airbnbs that would match the price the council has to pay for Travelodge accommodation," she said.
"It costs us £500 a week to house a family in a Travelodge."
She also said there had been a mixed reaction from insurance companies contacted by homeowners.
"A couple of them have been absolutely great," she said.
"But a couple of them have been absolutely awful and that has added to the confusion. It's made our job much harder."
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Residents could be out of their homes 'for a year'
Godstone sinkhole to be investigated with 3D maps
Families return home after sinkhole swallows road
Sinkhole has left us homeless, residents say
Sinkhole street families 'out of homes for months'
Huge sinkhole swallows up more of Surrey street
Tandridge District Council
Surrey County Council
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Over 1,000 people without power after severe storms on Friday
Over 1,000 people are without power after severe storms and heavy rain rolled through the southwestern Pennsylvania area. As of 10:30 p.m., Duquesne Light Company reported 1,284 total power outages. All outages were in Allegheny County. Click here to report a power outage to Duquesne Light Company. West Penn Power reported 905 power outages in Pennsylvania. Of those, 36 were in Allegheny County, 31 were in Butler County, 25 were in Fayette County, 104 were in Lawrence County and 409 were in Westmoreland County. Click here to report a power outage to West Penn Power. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Human caused' Manitoba wildfire data misused to downplay climate impact
"100 of the 111 FIRES in Manitoba right now are confirmed HUMAN CAUSED," reads the caption of a June 3, 2025 X post. "The MEDIA will make you believe otherwise, like it's climate or something." The post includes what appears to be a collection of government data showing that the majority of wildfires in Manitoba have human origins. Similar posts on Facebook, Instagram and X shared the numbers while also claiming the media and government were incorrectly citing climate change as the cause of the size of the blazes. Canadian wildfires have already forced over 31,000 people to evacuate in 2025, with smoke from the flames detected as far away as Europe. Across the country, the area burned by wildfires is nowhere near the level of Canada's record-breaking 2023 season, but is still above the decade average for this point in the year, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (archived here and here). A reference to "gas" and comments on many of the posts claiming "arson" echo allegations of intentionally started fires, which emerge during many wildfire events and are often used to promote false claims that environmentalists are burning forests to prove the existence of climate change. As of June 5, government data reports 101 of 113 fires in Manitoba are human caused (archived here), but a spokesperson for the province said this label denotes any fire started by something other than lightning. "It does not mean 'arson,' it could be a hot exhaust pipe on an ATV in long grass, or a campfire or burn pile not properly extinguished," the spokesperson said. Glenn Miller, the director of Manitoba Wildfire Service, also explained the distinction to reporters in a press conference on May 8, 2025 (archived here). "When we use the words 'human caused' it's very broad and it's not necessarily arson, but arson can be at play for sure," he said. The Manitoba division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told AFP it had made arson-related arrests after the start of two separate wildfires on May 7 (archived here). Both cases involved controlled burns -- a practice of burning away dry organic matter to eliminate potential fuel for future wildfires (archived here) -- which could not be contained due to weather, the RCMP said. Contrary to claims on social media, there were news reports on the arrests and their connection to the wildfires. Local media also reported on a house fire at Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park on May 20, detected after the evacuation of the area due to wildfire risk. An investigation into possible arson is ongoing. The RCMP did not reference any other cases of intentionally started fires in the province and AFP could not find any other reports about such cases. Laura Chasmer, an associate professor of geography and environment at the University of Lethbridge (archived here), told AFP a fire's origin is just "one part of the puzzle" when it comes to the flames' spread and the wider picture of climate change and its impacts. "If the fuel conditions are really dry because you've had really warm, dry weather, then that vegetation, that biomass, or even the organic matter on the ground, that's going to burn," she said on June 5 (archived here and here). Chasmer also explained that gusty conditions in Manitoba and other Canadian prairie provinces facilitated the spread of recent wildfires. In Canada, the past 20 years of warmer weather and recent prolonged droughts sucking up moisture, which would have previously slowed down blazes, contribute to more intense wildfire seasons, she remarked. "Fires are becoming a big problem now," she said. "It's just everywhere, every summer." Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here. June 6, 2025 Paragraph 8 was updated to reflect the most recent data on fires in Manitoba province.
Hamilton Spectator
6 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while Manitoba fires force 1,000 more to flee
Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes, while Saskatchewan's RCMP laid charges against alleged fire-starters. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that two people have been charged with setting wildfires. He said one of them was charged in relation to a fire around La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people to flee their homes. 'The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,' Moe said. RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saskatchewan has 24 active wildfires that have forced between 10,000 and 15,000 people from their homes. 'Many if not virtually all of the fires that we're dealing with in Saskatchewan, although not intentionally, are human caused. Some of those have been intentionally human caused,' Moe said. The province, along with Manitoba, is under a state of emergency, making it easier for different levels of government to co-ordinate a response. Manitoba has received help from the military to evacuate residents, mainly in remote First Nations. Moe has faced calls from the Opposition NDP to follow suit. The premier said while his government is in daily contact with federal officials, provincial emergency crews have so far been able to get evacuees out. He said the Canadian Red Cross is also working to set up shelters for evacuees in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. In Manitoba, the town of Snow Lake, near Flin Flon, issued a mandatory evacuation order for its residents due to a large wildfire threatening the area. 'You must leave because of the danger to your health and safety,' reads a notice on the town's Facebook page. That fire, which has grown to more than 3,000 square kilometres, has already forced out all 5,000 residents of the city of Flin Flon and about a thousand more in surrounding cottages and homes. When the Snow Lake evacuees are added in, Manitoba has about 19,000 out of their homes. There are 27 total fires in the province, eight of them out of control. Earlier Friday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said evacuees have found a place to stay with friends or family, in hotels or in congregate shelters. He said getting those evacuees into private accommodations is tricky because many hotel rooms are being reserved for people with 'intense' medical issues. 'We just have to do a balancing act,' Kinew said. 'At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed. 'It's now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.' There are shelters in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon. The City of Flin Flon, on social media, said that no structures have been lost in the city or in nearby Creighton, Sask. 'Winds in the area are now blowing from the south, resulting in heavy smoke and fire moving towards the south side of Flin Flon,' the city said in an update Friday. The city added that fire protection, including sprinklers, is set up and firefighters would work to protect property. Provincial fire officials said evacuations have been completed at First Nations at Pukatawagan and Cross Lake. In northern Alberta, approximately 1,300 residents of the town of Swan Hills were allowed to return to their homes Thursday, about a week after fleeing from a wildfire. But about 340 kilometres west in the County of Grande Prairie, people in the Municipal District of Opportunity were ordered out. — with files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
