Meeting aims to give clarity on sinkhole concerns

Residents will be updated on the next steps for Godstone High Street, which has been shut for nearly a year because of a giant sinkhole.

Thirty families were evacuated from the street last February after sinkholes were found, and engineers later uncovered Victorian sand mining tunnels beneath the site.

Hopes of reopening the street in December were dashed when SES Water said work would continue until at least March, with no fixed date set.

East Surrey MP Claire Coutinho, who has organised a public meeting on Friday night, said she hopes it will give residents the "answers" they deserve.

Claiming the sinkhole is "probably the biggest thing" to happen in her constituency since she was elected six years ago, Coutinho said not knowing when the road will reopen is "hugely disconcerting".

"It could be anytime in spring, which could be June as far as we know," she said.

The MP said she is hopeful the meeting, which key agencies including SES Water and Surrey County Council (SCC) have agreed to attend, will offer clarity.

For residents planning to attend, the desire is the same.

The Rev Peter O'Connell, from Godstone United Benefice, said he wants to know the issue will not happen again.

He said he wants assurances the road will not collapse again.

Shane Fry, who runs DD Services Ltd garage, said someone needs to take responsibility for the impact on businesses.

Coutinho agrees.

She says: "At the moment, SES [Water] seem to have said, 'it's not our fault, it's not our pipe'...so that leaves it very unclear for residents and businesses whether there's going to be any compensation for their losses."

A spokesperson for SCC says the "expectation is that the road will be re-opened in the spring".

"Work is continuing on Godstone High Street to fill and stabilise the underground mine network.

"So far, over 600 tonnes of grout at depths of 8-10m below ground level have been put in place," they said.

"We remain hugely sympathetic to the disruption being experienced by some residents and businesses in Godstone."

An SES spokesperson says its "teams are working as quickly as they can to fix the pipes that were affected by the road collapse".

The meeting will start at 18:00 GMT at the White Hart Barn in Godstone.

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