Man, 87, ‘staying put’ in home near Surrey sinkhole

An 87-year-old says he will remain in his home only metres from two Surrey sinkholes.

Two sections of Godstone High Street have caved in since Monday night, with 30 homes evacuated.

But Bren Davis, 87, says he has lived in his property, approximately 60ft (18 metres) opposite the sinkhole, all his life and despite having no water he and his wife do not want to leave.

Mr Davis told BBC Radio Surrey: “I’m staying put.”

He said he was confident his house was stable and that it was built by his grandfather.

He said: “There are more bricks below our house than above.”

Mr Davis has had three “helpful” visits from the police but no-one has ordered him to leave, he said.

Although he is without water, he says he has had a pallet of bottled water delivered.

Mr Davis said: “Carrying five bottles upstairs to flush the toilet is not a job for an 87-year-old.”

He has an escape plan if anything goes wrong, he said.

“If we have a problem, we have a back entrance so we can run out that way,” he added.

At least one family who had left have been told they can return by Tandridge District Council.

Council leader Catherine Sayer said: “The property is not near the sinkhole and has been assessed by a multi-agency technical team.

“They deemed it is suitable for the household to return.

“We are reviewing the list of evacuated households to consider if any other families could be allowed to return home.”

Ms Sayer previously said she was “very sorry” if anyone felt let down by the level of support from the local authority, adding the council had been “doing their best” to keep residents informed.

Godstone Farm’s CEO, Nicola Henderson, said the farm was left without water on Tuesday before receiving water bowsers.

Although the animals are her priority, she worries visitors will be put off by disruption to the village in the long term.

She said: “There’s a lot at stake here.”

Garage owner Shane Fry told BBC Radio Surrey he believed customers would soon be allowed to limited access to the High Street.

Surrey County Council said: “Any decision to move the cordon back will depend on the outcome of technical safety assessments over the coming days.”

Residents said on Thursday they feared they would be homeless for months.

The first hole appeared late on Monday night when a water pipe burst, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime.

A major incident was previously declared but it is now being referred to as a “significant incident”.

Tandridge District Council said on Thursday: “The sinkhole in Godstone remains a significant incident and we continue to work closely with our partners to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

“The response is now being led by Tandridge District Council, with ongoing support from the Surrey Local Resilience Forum, which includes Surrey County Council.”

A spokesperson for SES Water confirmed it had “restored water supplies to all customers in the area” and was working with other agencies involved in the incident.