Sinkhole work is around the clock, says council

Repair teams are working "around the clock" at the site of two huge sinkholes which appeared in a Surrey road, the local council has said.

The hole in Godstone High Street grew to 65ft (20m) in length in 12 hours after first emerging last Monday, with a second sinkhole also opening on the opposite side of the street.

Surrey County Council said road closures and diversions will remain in place for some time.

"Our highways teams are working around the clock to manage the site," the local authority added.

"Structural experts are assessing the site to manage the risk and determine what needs to be done to ensure safety and repair.

"Everyone's safety is our priority."

Tandridge District Council is due to hold a public meeting on Tuesday.

Leader Catherine Sayer told BBC South East: "We know there's a lot of questions, unfortunately not all of them can get an answer at the moment.

"What we want to do is make sure people know what there is to know."

The authority is exempting householders who have had to leave their homes from council tax until they can return, with businesses advised to contact the government's valuation office to ask for a reduction in their rates.

The holes will be examined using 3D scanning equipment, which the council said would show what needs to be done to stabilise and repair the damage.

Repairs will take months because of the "unprecedented nature" of the damage, the council said.

With the A25 through Godstone closed, road diversions have been listed on the council's website.

Thirty homes were initially evacuated, and homeowners are now able to return to six of them.

Royal Mail is holding any post for the affected properties at Redhill Delivery Office, and homeowners are able to collect them by producing ID.

All local schools are still open, although some of the bus routes that serve them have had to be diverted.

Utility companies will carry out wider repairs once the site is deemed safe, although water and power has been restored to the wider area.

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