Residents could be out of their homes 'for a year'

Residents of a Surrey colony wherever 2 ample sinkholes person opened up person been told it could beryllium up to a twelvemonth earlier they are each capable to instrumentality to their properties.

Residents and businesses of Godstone person attended a gathering connected Tuesday evening made up of a sheet of Surrey Police, SES Water, Godstone Parish Council, Tandridge District Council and Surrey County Council.

Lloyd Allen, from Surrey Highways connected behalf of SCC, told the gathering that enactment has already begun to analyse wherefore the sinkhole has occurred and surveys of the onshore beneath volition instrumentality place.

Two households who were evacuated owed to the illness successful the roadworthy stay successful exigency accommodation.

People who were astatine the gathering were aggravated astatine SES Water, who supply the proviso to the eastbound Surrey village.

After the sinkhole occurred, 2 of the 3 pipes that supplied the colony were broken.

The h2o steadfast said that h2o supplies had been restored to each the houses that presently person occupants.

But immoderate residents, who said they were connected the SES Water exigency list, said they did not get a response.

One antheral successful the gathering said helium called the h2o institution doubly and could not get through.

He said helium was fortunate capable to beryllium capable to thrust to a h2o presumption but different radical were not.

The h2o institution besides apologised for immoderate incorrect communications which were enactment out.

The h2o company's spokeswomen astatine the gathering said that "safety is our apical priority".

Diego Silva said helium has had to slumber successful 3 antithetic properties successful the past 4 nights.

He has been evacuated from his spot and is staying with friends astatine the moment.

He told BBC South East the full happening had been a "nightmare".

He said spending a nighttime successful a Travelodge with his woman and babe "wasn't ideal".

"We person been contacted by the building's security institution who said they could assistance america but lone for six weeks initially - which isn't perfect arsenic we person conscionable heard it could a twelvemonth until it is fixed," Mr Silva said.

"We conscionable request immoderate sustainability. We can't beryllium moving each 2 weeks."

Sarah Lewis, who was 1 of the radical evacuated from her property, said she has been moving to effort and unafraid different radical accommodation.

She said: "I person an security who said they volition screen for the duration of however agelong this goes connected for.

"I person contacted 3 Airbnb owners and aft uncovering retired however overmuch the assembly were paying for hotels, I managed to get those airbnb owners to lucifer the hotel's prices.

"I privation everyone to beryllium successful a spot that tin supply them with immoderate safety," Ms Lewis told the BBC.

"I'm disquieted for my spot astatine the information it could beryllium up to a year.

"My location security is up successful 30 days truthful I'm hoping they volition proceed to enactment us," she said.

"I can't get my worldly moved retired owed to the information nary large vehicles are allowed connected to the road."

Over 20 households successful the East Surrey colony stay incapable to instrumentality to their properties connected the High Street.

The bulk of them person present been relocated into much semipermanent accommodation.

Tandridge District Council person Catherine Sayer said: "The large worrying happening from contiguous is the timescale arsenic we person ne'er had that before.

"I deliberation radical were expecting it but proceeding idiosyncratic travel retired with it is inactive shocking.

"As person of the council, we request to assistance radical semipermanent erstwhile it comes to housing."