A huge 66ft sinkhole has opened in the UK. The hole in Fontmell Close, St Albans, Hertfordshire was ignored by the county council as they believed the hole would not get any bigger. At 1am on Thursday, residents were woken by a loud smash as their street collapsed into the sinkhole.
20 people have been evacuated from their homes. Nobody was injured. It may be months before residents can return to their homes. Gas, water and electricity supplies have been cut-off to 52 homes in the area.
Peter Hobbs, from the British Geological Survey said: “Sinkholes are caused by dissolution of rock such as chalk. Alternatively, they can be caused by collapse into former mine workings (for flint within the chalk). Changes in the water table may affect the stability of underground cavities. Recently, the weather in this part of the country has been relatively dry and water tables may have lowered. The strata at the site consist of about 4m (13ft) of sands, silts and gravels overlying chalk. It isn’t clear at present which of these factors could be the cause. Sinkholes in this chalk formation are not uncommon.”