A mother-of-two forced to evacuate her home after a 65ft sinkhole opened on her doorstep has described the “utter panic” of escaping in the night.
Noosh Miri, of Godstone, Surrey, scrambled for her belongings and rushed to leave her terraced house with her husband and children at 11.30pm on Monday.
“It was definitely nothing I have ever experienced in real life. It resembled something you would see in a TV show. It was really scary,” Ms Miri told BBC News.
“As I ran downstairs and opened the front door, it sounded like I was in a waterfall because the sinkhole was right on my doorstep. It was utter panic.”
Surrey County Council declared a major incident on Tuesday as police told residents to “get out as quickly as possible” over fears of an explosion caused by the exposed cables.
Up to 30 homes have been evacuated as the abyss swallowed at least one garden by Tuesday afternoon.
Ms Miri has prepared to be away from her home “for a good couple of months” after she was moved into temporary accommodation.
Residents Nicola and Damian Styles, 46 and 44, also described the “shock” of being woken by police in the middle of the night.
“We just sort of grabbed everything, the clothes on our back and our work laptops, and drove out quickly. We didn’t know how long we were going to be out for,” Mr Styles said.
Kevin Boll, 62, added: “What did scare me is that I’ve seen the size of the hole, and what was going on out there, and I’ve seen the amount of services that were here.
“No one has seen this coming. No one has seen this coming at all. Not this massive sinkhole, when there’s brand new flats just adjacent to it as well.”
Alan and Tracey Jones, 75 and 61, who live on Godstone High Street, took in their daughter, her husband, and their baby girl at midnight on Tuesday after police told them to evacuate their flat across the road, whose building now stands on the edge of the sinkhole.
Mrs Jones said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. Dreadful.”
“They (the family) arrived at midnight – the police started to evacuate because there was a fear of a gas explosion.”
Mr Jones said: “It’s very concerning, and you know it’s a massive incident because of all the guys that are down here and all the utility companies are here.”
SES Water said one of its water main pipes had burst on the street, and packs of water bottles were distributed to locals on Tuesday night as their homes were left without running water.
“That’s the worst thing, you know”, Mr Jones said.
“The daughter and her husband have gone down to a friend in Whyteleafe to have a shower.
“But we’ve got no information whatsoever. Nothing at all.”
A Surrey County Council spokesperson said: “We are working together with emergency services and utility companies, as well as our highways colleagues and Tandridge District Council, to protect the public and property in the area.
“Investigations are continuing to make the area safe and to repair utilities, and we ask that people remain away from the vicinity while that important work is ongoing.
“We will keep people updated as the situation develops. Residents from within the cordon – around 30 properties – are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation.
“Highways diversions are also in place. The Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet throughout this incident to ensure everything is being done to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.”
