An older couple refuses to evacuate their house in Godstone after two huge gorges were opened on the road in the picturesque village of Surrey.
Defiant Brendon and Catherine Davis claim that their 150 -year home 'was built to last' and is not afraid that it will collapse to the gaping holes that run the risk of taking neighboring properties.
Retired company director Brendon Davis, 87, said MailOnline: 'We are not going anywhere.
“My grandfather built that house and we know it will take.
“When he built the house, he grabbed the base with stones. It doesn't go income. In fact, there is more rock under the house than above it. '
Woman Catherine, 90, added: 'We are not afraid. We know that house. My husband Brendon has lived in that house all his life. We know it was built to last a long time. '
A cordon is in place on Godstone High Street and the road is closed between Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road after a 65ft crater has been opened.
A small number of buildings have been evacuated for fear of an explosion caused by exposed cables and some houses are currently without water.
Houses in the road were built three years ago and sold for a maximum of £ 500,000. The site is a former sand quarry and the locals fear that there can be caves under the estate.
A cordon is in place on Godstone High Street and the road is closed between Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road
Retired builder Alan Jones, 75, told how his daughter and granddaughter were evacuated without any warning
In the meantime, other residents of Godstone High Street have been brought in and out of their abandoned houses to collect assets.
Among them is a young couple that days are away from expecting their first child.
The expectant mother, who refused to give her name, said, “I am 37 weeks pregnant and so I try to stay as calm as possible.”
Her husband added: 'We live behind the Cordon, where the sink holes are. We were evacuated yesterday. But I just come back to collect a few things. My wife is going to have a baby soon and we have to be ready. '
Retired builder Alan Jones told how his daughter and granddaughter were evacuated without any warning.
Alan, 75, said: 'My daughter Paige and her one -year -old Ivy were told that they had to leave in the middle of the night without any notification after the second sink.
'They live on the side of the street with the sink hole right in front of them.
'We live a little further on the road, so we are right at the moment.
“But all those houses were built on an old quarry. The houses were effectively built on sand. '
An aerial photo shows a car parked on a ride within centimeters of a huge zinc hole
SES Water said on Tuesday in a statement at 12.50 pm that it was aware of a Burst Water Main Pipe on Godstone High Street
A car has been staggered on the edge of one of the holes, which has swallowed part of the driveway and the path of a house
The local population has been evacuated and part of a main street is closed after a huge zinc hole appeared in Surrey
In an update, a spokesperson said that there were no repairs yet – and confirmed that the Burst had hit 'Water supply for houses in the area'
Abandoned residents stay with friends and family members, although local councilors have set up a help center in a nearby church for everyone who needs emergency accommodation.
Godstone district advisor Mike Crane said: 'We have set up an emergency center in the church to help people find somewhere to stay. There was a guy who slept in his car last night, and we can't have that! '
Engineers in high fish coats continue to investigate the properties close to the sink holes.
A large natural gater remains on the stand at the bottom of Godstone High Street, which is closed to traffic.
Inhabitants of Godstone claimed tonight that the sudden sink holes that destroyed the Surrey village was “an accident waiting to happen.”
Neighbors Paul Ryan and Simon Marus blamed the 'hundreds of trucks' that thundered Godstone High Street' for weakening the road where the gutter cavities came to the fore this week.
Mr. Ryan, 53, an official, said MailOnline: 'For years we have been telling the local authority about the problem with trucks, but nobody listens.
“There should be a bypass around the village.
Engineers In High Vishes continue to investigate the properties close to the zinc holes
An aerial photo shows the zinc holes in the road on February 19, 2025 in Godstone
The scene in Godstone where the police have evacuated a number of properties and a 100 -meter cordon has been introduced
'The amount of traffic has broken the road again and again. And now the enormous weight of the traffic has led to the land cracking.
Mr. Marus, 56, a company director, added: 'We could see all of this coming.
'There are literally hundreds of trucks that come on this road every day.
'I lived on the road where the sink holes appeared until 2011.
'First the road started to fall, so the Council filled in the gaps. But now the entire way has admitted.
“This was really an accident that waited to happen.”
