Latest news with #Godstone
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Godstone sinkhole: Businesses affected six months after road closure
Business owners in Surrey blighted by a massive sinkhole say they are fed up of people thinking their village is closed six months in Godstone say shops, pubs and restaurants are continuing to see a downturn in trade due to ongoing repairs to a large sinkhole in the High Street, which formed in landlord Mark Cullinan said he was facing a 40% downturn in footfall, as businesses stress that Godstone is open for trade.A Surrey County Council spokesperson said it hoped to reopen the road in December and investigations on the "highly complex incident" were continuing. Mr Cullinan, who runs the Hare and Hounds in Godstone, said: "Normally we are very busy in the week – it's a prime location but we are down on where we were last year."Businesses are fine but they need help." Will McLean, of Dorwyn Doors and Windows, said: "The perception is that Godstone is closed and it's not – it's very much open."Residents woke on 17 February to find a sinkhole outside their homes which grew to 65ft (20m), engulfed the road and sparked house road has been closed since, with pavements allowing people to walk along the road opening this week. Road traffic is still subject to a three-mile (4.8km) diversion, which Godstone Parish Council chairman Steve Beagley described as a "considerable disadvantage".He added: "Our message to customers is the village is open – we are here so support us."A Surrey County Council spokesperson said work was under way to reconstruct the road, adding it was "continuing surveys and other investigations".It said: "We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this."
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Discovery leads to fresh clue over cause of Surrey sinkhole
A network of underground Victorian tunnels has been discovered near a massive sinkhole that caused major disruption in Godstone, Surrey. The sinkhole, which opened on 17 February, led to the evacuation of more than 30 homes and grew up to 19 metres in length. Engineers investigating the site have confirmed the existence of abandoned sand mining tunnels, which 'may provide a clue' about the cause of the sinkhole. Local businesses report significant income loss due to the sinkhole, with one owner stating his income has been slashed to a third of what it once was. Surrey County Council aims to complete repairs by December, but the focus remains on ensuring the road is safe for use, with ongoing investigations to determine the exact cause of the collapse.
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
New clues over massive Surrey sinkhole after network of tunnels discovered near street
Months after a massive sinkhole sparked a major incident in Surrey, a network of underground Victorian tunnels have been discovered close to the site. Residents of quiet Surrey village of Godstone were told to 'get out as quickly as possible' after a huge crater swallowed a street overnight on February 17. More than 30 homes were evacuated as the sinkhole grew to up 19 metres in length, before a second one opened up days later. Engineers working to repair the hole have now confirmed the discovery of abandoned sand mining tunnels around the site, which may 'provide a clue' into what caused the havoc. Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, told the BBC: "Currently, we're investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go. "We'll likely be finished by the early part of December, but there's a lot of reconnecting services and redoing water mains, gas mains and electric cables." He told the broadcaster that the discovery of the eight-metre deep tunnels "puts one of the pieces into place' over why the hole opened up, but added there were 'several scenarios that could have happened that led to this collapse". In February, an expert suggested the incident could be related to the collapse of a nearby abandoned sand mine. Andrew Farrant, the British Geological Survey (BGS) regional geologist for southeast England, said how old maps of the area, published in 1872, appeared to show an entrance to a sand mine very close to the crater. 'It is possible other unrecorded sand mines occurred in this area,' Farrant said. 'It is also possible that a leaking pipe has weakened the rock and led to the failure of a putative mine, assuming it exists and extended under the road. Equally, it is possible that gradual failure of a mine roof caused the water main to fail, triggering further subsidence.' While engineers say they hope the repairs to be finished by December, local businesses told the BBC they have been 'left in the dark' over the repair plans. One businesses owner said his income had been slashed to a third of what it once was due to the sinkhole. "They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn't happened," Shane Fry, who runs DD Services, a garage on the high street said. "We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area." Will McLean, the owner of a residential windows and doors company described how the sinkhole had 'reduced footfall to virtually zero'. "Financially it has been massive,' he said."In terms of business, we are down 60% to 70%, which is huge - devastating in fact." Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council, said, 'This continues to be a highly complex incident involving a number of investigations led by our Highways Officers and other agencies, including specialist teams and utility companies. 'We are continuing to update local residents and businesses as we progress through each stage of the process. We're also looking at how we can minimise the impact on local businesses while the necessary road closures are in place. 'Thorough investigations need to continue to understand the cause of the collapse and subsequently how we fully and effectively repair the area. We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this.'
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Network of abandoned Victorian tunnels discovered 26ft under giant sinkhole that opened up on ordinary-looking street
A GIANT sink hole has revealed an underground network of Victorian mining tunnels. Engineers working at the site, on Godstone High Street in Surrey, were shocked when they stumbled upon the discovery. 8 8 8 The huge collapse, which rocked the local community in February, has unearthed eerie eight-meter deep abandoned tunnels. Experts who are repairing the street say these sand mining networks may hold the key to what caused the sinkhole. But residents in the area claim they have been "left in the dark" over when construction will be complete, as reported by the BBC. Businesses in the area also continue to be negatively impacted by the major collapse. Local authorities shared their hopes the road would be reopened by December this year. Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, said: "Currently, we're investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go. "We'll likely be finished by the early part of December, but there's a lot of reconnecting services and redoing water mains, gas mains and electric cables." Mr Allen added how the tunnels "puts one of the pieces into place" over why the sinkhole unfolded. Although there are still "several scenarios" that have been put forward about the cause. Shane Fry, who runs a garage on the high street, told the BBC the sinkhole has slashed his profits by a third. "They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn't happened," he said. "We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area." Meanwhile, Will McLean, owner of a residential windows and doors company claimed the disaster has "reduced footfall to virtually zero". And coffee shop owner Sami Bristow, shared how her income is down about 20% compared to last year. 8 8 8 "It has been hard-hitting especially with inflation and all the other things that small businesses are having to cope with," she added. Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways at Surrey County Council, said: "Our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use, so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this." Catherine Sayer, Tandridge District Council leader, added: "Things are moving as fast as they can. "The key thing is to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible." Locals have been allowed back into their homes after a risk assessment deemed it safe to do so. 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. Is your property at risk from a sinkhole? There are thousands of natural sinkholes, also known as dolines, in the UK, particularly in the upland areas of northern England, according to the British Geological Survey. By and large, these are not actively subsiding, but occasionally new sinkholes form, particularly after heavy rain. Built up areas can be at risk and it is believed sinkholes are becoming more common in the UK, partly due to extreme rainfall, which scientists have linked to climate change. Dr Andrew Farrant of the BGS, says: 'By their very nature, collapse features caused by burst pipes or collapsed infrastructure are mostly likely to occur in built up areas or beneath roads, and could happen in other areas with similar geology and aging infrastructure. 'Many recent sinkholes have been caused by collapses of old sewers or culverts, such as the sinkhole near Merthyr Tydfil last December. 'There have been other recent instances of sinkholes due to flushing out of sands and weak sandstones, for example the sinkhole that closed Storrington High Street last October.' "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 that 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. It will mainly effect older people because they will have to walk all the way around. "The local businesses will also be hit hard as they can't get vans in. "It has already impacted the amount of people around. I went to the supermarket earlier and the car park was half empty when it is normally packed." 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: "We were without water for a considerable amount of time. "We thought that water would be delivered to us but instead we had to go to a water station. "Our water finally came back on at about 3am this morning. "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." 8 8
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Business 'left in the dark' over sinkhole repairs
Council officials are to be questioned about plans to fix sinkholes that swallowed a large part of a Surrey road, as a local business claimed people were not being given timely public meeting organised by Tandridge District Council and Surrey County Council Highways aims to detail when Godstone High Street will be repaired after sinkholes – one 20 metres in length – appeared in February. It comes as one affected business owner told the BBC he feels "left in the dark" about what is being done to fix the partially collapsed road. "This continues to be a highly complex incident," said Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth at Surrey County Council. He added that "thorough investigations" were needed to understand what caused the collapse and repair it fully and effectively. "We hope to have the road re-opened during December this year, but our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this," Mr Furniss added. 'Minimise the impact' Shane Fry, who runs the DD Services garage on the high street, told the BBC ahead of the meeting that his business had had to adapt to "stay afloat". He urged authorities to offer a clear timetable about when road repairs will be finished at the meeting."They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn't happened," Mr Fry said, adding that he felt "left in the dark". "We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area," he County Council said it was continuing to update local residents and businesses as it progressed through each stage of the process. "We're also looking at how we can minimise the impact on local businesses while the necessary road closures are in place," said Mr Furniss. Councillor Catherine Sayer, leader of Tandridge District Council, said local authorities wanted to get "all the information out there as soon as it is available". She told the BBC: "We obviously know it has been an awful time for people. But, as far as I can see, things are moving as fast as they can."She said she believes the meeting will tell the public what they want to know about how road repairs are progressing and offer a timeline."The key thing is to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible," she said. "Businesses need business as usual."
