Huge sinkhole in Surrey street

TopSec

If you look closely at the video there is a torrent of water running underneath, as thought there is a stream/river under the road. Maybe a bit misleading, but I'm pretty sure its because the houses were built on unsuitable ground rather than fracking as another previous poster said

It started with a burst water main.

If you look closely at the video there is a torrent of water running underneath, as thought there is a stream/river under the road. Maybe a bit misleading, but I'm pretty sure its because the houses were built on unsuitable ground rather than fracking as another previous poster said

Grandma70s

Doesn’t the Bible have something to say about the foolishness of building a house on sand?

Ha - was coming here to say exactly the same!

I presume those quarry caves and mine-workings must be under the M25 also (Godstone being to the South, and Caterham to the North)

Grandma70s

Doesn’t the Bible have something to say about the foolishness of building a house on sand?

Yes, Grandma, it does! You are a lady after my own heart.

Unfortunately, a lot of people do not read the Bible anymore, and civil servants, including the Planning authorities, if they did ever read it, got no further than "Let not thy left hand know, what the right hand doeth." Or was it the right hand that was to be kept in ignorance?

We have sunk into a nation of sinkholes by the looks of it. This was on Sky News tonight.

news.sky.com/story/what-causes-sinkholes-and-why-are-they-popping-up-in-the-uk-13312658

When they were widening the M25 about 10 years ago, roughly between junctions 16-19, north of the river, they were having to put in metal shuttering to contain the cuttings because before they did it, you could see that the chalk of the Chilterns was absolutel riddled with solution holes some 10 feet or more wide and going down up to 30 feet

The solution holes had filled up with sand and gravel over thousans/millions of years and unless the shuttering was there the filling sof these holes would subside and slumo onto the road.

Tarmac layer very thin. It should have said.

On the news a minute ago. It’s right next to a lot of new build properties. The tarmac layer of road was very think. All pipes were exposed. It’s going to take weeks apparently while they investigate. It’s a road in constant use, a busy road which leads to the M25. Heavy Lorrie’s thunder up and down every day. It’s a pretty little village but the traffic is heavy.

Smintie

That area has a deep chalk layer, covered with a thin clay, studded with flint. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere, mixes with rain and slowly, over 20-30 years, seeps through the clay and erodes the chalk underneath, after a while, the resulting hollow can’t support the weight and it all collapses. Going to be an increasingly common issue. Retired environmental scientist.

I remember reading about it, it's rather interesting. I also read about building on old garbage dumps causing similar issues of subsidence.

We lived in the local area for @ 40 years, in Caterham and Warlingham, just up the road. There is a large network of caves locally, probably where your daughter went, Litterpicker.
The road itself is part of the road network that joins the M25, very busy with heavy vehicles.

That area has a deep chalk layer, covered with a thin clay, studded with flint. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere, mixes with rain and slowly, over 20-30 years, seeps through the clay and erodes the chalk underneath, after a while, the resulting hollow can’t support the weight and it all collapses. Going to be an increasingly common issue. Retired environmental scientist.

My house builder had to go down over 3 metres to reach solid rock. Many old houses were built without footings and could indeed slide away

I have driven around the diversion today absolute nightmare. I had an appt in the next town . People have been evacuated from the nearest houses and don’t know when they can go back. One guy had only been in his new house a week and now can’t live in it! Terrible for those who live there. A damn nuisance for us who live nearby too

I heard it was built on top of an old quarry. You would have thought people would do their homework but probably more bank handers from developers wanting to build on cheap land and make a massive profit...

We used to live near Godstone - I remember one of my daughters having a day exploring some of the tunnels with the junior natural history club. The cagoule she wore never recovered from being pressed against chalky mud walls!

It is awful for the families whose property is or may be affected. I hope the ‘experts’ get it sorted speedily.

The sinkhole in Pant in December was caused by a collapsed culvert, and was apparently 50-60 deep, right outside somebody’s drive.
I also remember last year in Kuala Lumpur there was a woman swallowed by a sinkhole on the pavement caused by the sewage system collapsing.

There was a sink hole near here, not a large one but deep.

This is a limestone area; limestone is porous and there are caves beneath some areas.

We get sinkholes of a sort here because of old coal mining, going back so long there aren't records. One chap had a hole appear inside his bungalow.
I wonder if home insurance covers it, when it's not a known risk & just happens?

Sinkholes and swallowholes are not uncommon in some parts of the country.

Doline is the name given to sinkholes in limestone countries- were the action of rain, in particular acid rain, slowly attack the stone until it collapses.

Don't think it applies to sinkholes due to mining or other phenomenon.

Might not be a disaster for those of us who are not affected by it!

But most definitely a disaster for those living nearby.Which is why it is now a Major Incident.

The idea of sinkholes terrify me.

I do remember people swimming in the old sandpits there. I never tried it!

My nightmare!😲 We rarely think about what’s under the pavement, tarmac or our own houses, and probably best not to.
In the US, in a bungalow one evening I read of a case where one teenage brother went into the older brothers bedroom and almost fell into a deep pit, virtually all the furniture including the bed with his brother on it reading a magazine had vanished.The parents called and called but no reply and the authorities came out and told the family to leave for their own safety. A rescue operation was mounted but even the furniture had gone as well as the young guy and it was incredibly deep and dangerous.In the end the house had to be pulled down and he was declared dead in the absence of a body.How terrible for his family, you can’t imagine.

Thanks for the link, M0nica. I didn't know sinkholes were also called dolines.
I have visited that very road recently, eating at a lovely pub nearby. Dread to think how all the businesses aswell as residents will suffer until it is fixed. Could be months, going from past experience.