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Council 'Did Not Think Sinkhole Would Collapse'

A council has admitted it knew a week ago about a sinkhole which has now opened up substantially and led to nearby homes being evacuated.

The crater is 66ft (20m) wide, 33ft (10m) deep and spreads across a driveway and front garden of a property in a St Albans cul-de-sac.

Following the sinkhole's massive expansion in Fontmell Close in the early hours of Thursday, 20 people were evacuated from five homes to a leisure centre.

And more than 50 properties were without gas and electricity.

Hertfordshire County Council said it was told about a hole in the footpath last week, but following an inspection "there was no reason to suspect that the hole would collapse".

Barriers were put around the hole last Wednesday and "work was scheduled to fill it in this morning", the council added, before the expansion.

It added: "Holes of this kind crop up across Hertfordshire often for historic reasons and we'd like to reassure the public that it is rare for them to turn into large holes."

Royal Mail said it reported the hazard to the council when a postman injured himself on a drain cover which gave way, but the worker was not seriously hurt.

Julie Langford, who lives on the street, told Sky News she had been unable to take her car out of the driveway to head to work on Thursday morning.

All of the residents in the road have had their vehicles blocked in by the sinkhole.

Ms Langford has been warned it could take weeks - possibly months - before the road is fully repaired.

She added: "I can't walk to work - I have an hour's commute in the morning. The children can walk to school, but when you're a mum with four children it's not easy."

But she said there had been an excellent sense of community spirit in the street, and many of her neighbours were grateful no-one had been injured or worse.

According to Peter Hobbs, an engineering geologist with the British Geological Survey, sinkholes are caused by the dissolution of rock, such as chalk.

He added: "Alternatively, they can be caused by collapse into former mine workings (for flint within the chalk). Changes in the water table may affect the stability of underground cavities.

"Recently, the weather in this part of the country has been relatively dry and water tables may have lowered."

In August, a 40ft-deep hole in Manchester's Mancunian Way opened up - shutting a major route around the city centre.