Mine tunnels confirmed around giant sinkhole site

Engineers working to repair a giant sinkhole collapse in a Surrey village have confirmed they have discovered a network of Victorian sand mining tunnels around the site.

They say the eight-metre deep (26ft) tunnels may "provide a clue" into what may have caused Godstone High Street to collapse in February.

Businesses have told the BBC they have been "left in the dark" over repair plans for the holes - one of which was 20 metres in length - with their income down considerably.

Authorities told a public meeting in the village on Thursday evening that they "hope to have the road reopened during December this year".

Lloyd Allen, infrastructure manager at Surrey County Council, said: "Currently, we're investigating the Victorian tunnels, plotting them to see the extent of them and where they go.

"We'll likely be finished by the early part of December, but there's a lot of reconnecting services and redoing water mains, gas mains and electric cables."

Mr Allen added that the presence of the tunnels "puts one of the pieces into place" over why the sinkhole formed, but that there were "several scenarios that could have happened that led to this collapse".

Shane Fry, who runs DD Services, a garage on the high street, told the BBC before the meeting that his income was a third of what it was because of the sinkhole.

"They said they would keep us up to date, but this hasn't happened," he said.

"We need to know. It will benefit everyone in the area."

Will McLean, owner of Dorwyn Ltd, a residential windows and doors company with a branch on Godstone High Street, said: "Financially it has been massive.

"In terms of business, we are down 60% to 70%, which is huge - devastating in fact."

He said the sinkhole had "reduced footfall to virtually zero".

Sami Bristow, owner of Blossoms coffee shop, said her takings were down about 20% compared to last year.

"Not knowing when the road is going to open has been really frustrating because we have had such a lack of footfall," she said.

"Each month we have seen a decrease in our sales.

"It has been hard-hitting especially with inflation and all the other things that small businesses are having to cope with."

Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways at Surrey County Council, said: "Our focus will be on ensuring the road is safe to use, so the exact date will be confirmed once we are fully assured of this."

Catherine Sayer, Tandridge District Council leader, added: "Things are moving as fast as they can.

"The key thing is to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible."

Residents were told at the packed meeting on Thursday evening that they had been let back into their homes because the authorities "don't feel there is a risk".

One woman who had been back in her home in William Way for a week and a half said the disruption had been "really, really distressing".

Another evacuated resident told the meeting he had been billed by SES Water while his supply had been turned off for several months.

A Godstone resident also called for speed limits in the village as there were concerns about rat runs and fears there could be "a serious accident". The comment was met with applause.

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