Large sinkhole forces closure of village high street

A large sinkhole has forced the closure of a high street in a Surrey village.

Surrey Police said on Tuesday that Godstone High Street was closed between Oxted Road and Bletchingley Road following reports of a sinkhole on Monday night.

The force added that a small number of buildings were evacuated as a precaution and a 100-metre cordon was put in place.

SES Water said one of its water main pipes had burst in Godstone High Street.

A spokesperson for the utility said: “The road has been closed and our teams are on site, together with emergency services and other utility providers, working hard to fix this as quickly as possible.

“A diversion route is in place and we are required to redirect traffic onto a like-for-like A-road to ensure the safety of motorists during the repair process.

“Unfortunately, the burst has impacted water supplies to homes in the area and we’re sorry for the disruption this is causing customers.

“We’re working hard to reroute water from across our network to restore supply for those customers.”

In a post on Facebook, Surrey Police said: “If you are in the area, please follow the directions of the emergency services.

“There is currently a large emergency services presence in the area. The road is likely to be closed for an extended period of time – please avoid the area if you can.”