Village open for business after sinkhole, leader says

A village which saw residents evacuated after a sinkhole swallowed up part of a busy road has been declared "open for business" by the local council leader after most were allowed to return.

Families in Godstone left their homes more than a month ago after the road in the High Street collapsed on 17 February.

While "almost all" of the 30 households affected can return home this weekend, Tandridge District Council leader Catherine Sayer said tests to determine the cause of the sinkhole could take "a few weeks and probably months".

Ms Sayer added that the final four households who have not been able to return still do not know when they will be given permission.

She told BBC Radio Surrey: "Surrey County Council and our building surveyors have given the all clear."

"People seem delighted to be able to come back. It's beginning to pick up a bit and the good news is Godstone is very much open for business.

"We don't know when the remaining families might be able to return but we will support them for as long as it takes."

Ms Sayer added that tests had so far shown a "number of anomalies" beneath the surface of the sinkhole but that no cause had been identified.

Lloyd Allen, Surrey County Council infrastructure team manager, suggested anomalies could be a "series of tunnels", "deep sewers" or "potentially soakaways from properties".

Foam concrete had been sprayed into the hole to stabilise the area before permanent repairs could be carried out, the council added.

Some residents were previously told it could be up to a year before they could go home.

TDC allocated up to £800,000 for temporary accommodation for up to 12 months, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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