A 20-metre sinkhole has opened up on a residential street in St Albans, Hertfordshire, forcing the evacuation of several families and leaving dozens of homes without water, electricity, and gas. The hole, which is 10 metres deep, appeared overnight on Fontmell Close, swallowing a car and spreading across a front garden and driveway.
Residents reported hearing a loud crash during the night and discovering that the road had collapsed. Some were unable to leave their homes through the front door and had to navigate through neighbours' gardens. At least 10 people were evacuated to Batchwood Hall, while 58 homes remain without utilities as engineers assess the damage.
Local fire service watch commander John Hudnott said a small hole had appeared a few days earlier, initially thought to be caused by a water main leak. “We thought it was the water leak but now we’re not so sure,” he said. “I have absolutely no idea how long it’s going to take to get the power back on.”
Pregnant resident Gemma Bagshaw, who was due to give birth last Friday, described the ordeal: “We grabbed the bare essentials and ran … If this doesn’t bring the labour on I don’t know what will.” Her husband Ben said he threw stones at neighbours’ windows to wake them up after noticing the road had vanished.
Eighty-year-old Frank Kalcozi, a Hungarian refugee who settled in the UK after the 1956 uprising, was reportedly distraught and being assessed for potential relocation to a care home. His daughter Maria Ellwood criticised the council for not addressing an earlier hole, saying: “The council should have dealt with it, and then suddenly overnight this huge crater appeared.”
Officials from the national grid and Hertfordshire fire and rescue service remain on site, with gas and electricity supplies isolated for safety. Sinkholes are caused by the collapse of surface ground layers, often over soft rock formations like those underlying St Albans.
