Godstone High Street sinkhole will not be fixed in time for Christmas
If you were hoping to drive down Godstone High Street in the run up to Christmas, think again. Nine months after a massive sinkhole appeared, the infamous road will not reopen until at least March, and there is still no definite date
The delay is because engineers have uncovered a much larger and unstable network of old sand-mining tunnels under the street than anyone expected. Also, Surrey County Council said their teams have uncovered very unstable sand which means a lot more time is needed to fill the mines and ensure the area is safe.
A Surrey council spokesperson said: “We are working hard to do all we can to carry out this additional workload as swiftly as possible. Whilst we take account of the issues we have encountered, we are not able to confirm an opening date at this stage.
“We will continue to update residents throughout the programme of works and thank them for their continued patience while we make the area safe.”
SES Water has started some repairs outside the collapsed area, including a 16-inch water pipe, which is due to be finished by February. Another pipe cannot be worked on until the council confirms the ground in the sinkhole itself is safe.
But SES officials assured the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) the water company has other work to do outside the nine-month-old cordon before the hole is confirmed safe and secure.
Pedestrians can use parts of the pavement but all traffic remains banned in the affected area as the road remains shut.