Monday 17th February, I leave the M25 at J6 and head to theA25 driving down Godstone High Street in my work van, around the one-way triangle of the village past the lovely buildings and the green and head the last mile to home. Iorder a takeout (My kitchen is being refitted) pick up my sax case load it into my car and head back to Godstone about 9pm go around the triangle again and pull into the White Hart Pub where I`m joining an open mic/jam that evening with other local musicians. I pack up and leave, drive home noticing sandy water on the road, put the sax away, realiseI’ve left my phone and reading glasses at the pub so head back. Now there’s lots more water on the road. I collect my phone and glasses and go to investigate.
Just around the corner, a hole had appeared in the road not huge but water was emitting from it and was growing! I returned home not overthinking it and suddenly realised I had no water, the cistern wasn’t filling; checked a tap nothing just air. Thought Ok it’s just a burst water main, sleep on it all will be ok by the morning.
Morning arrives still no water – the plasterer was due today, better make contact through my kitchen fitter and postpone. Pick up my phone, it’s like the apocalypse was happening, ok I can’t do much now I have a working day to do so head off.
I got home that evening to see TV crews in the village from multi agencies, radio broadcasters, Helicopters getting overhead shots and Drones. Blimey let it calm down so head home put the TV on and realise The Sink hole had become a Major Incident which commanded every TV service provider to broadcast something, The Hole – now a very big Sink Hole was huge. It had undermined the road, and a second sink hole had appeared within a private garden. The owner didn’t manage to get his other car out in time; it’s still there!
So around 7pm I grab my personal recorder and head into the village of Godstone and walk up to the barriers watching and listening whilst Channel 4do a piece to camera live. At that point some residents of the affected houses who had been retrieving some personal belongings and emptying their fridges came back escorted by the workmen there. They spoke to me, one saying he had to go back daily to feed his fish! The ladies however agreed to go on mic with me for Susy Radio and what I was about to be told opened a can of worms that has put our community radio station on the map and communications agenda.
That interview was introed by my broadcasting colleague and played in full on air on Wednesday Breakfast. The response was immediate, Sky news on the email to me and our local news team fishing for contact details which we did not give (our media contacts are private) I agreed to share the audio to Radio News Hub who are National News providers; it was on the air within 20mins. I emailed the local district council requesting a right of reply interview, I had that interview arranged within 20mins with the council leader. I go along to the council offices at the arranged time and meet the council leader and Communications team representative and in a private meeting room play them the audio from the resident’s interview and ask them to respond.
The council leader knew of Susy Radio and gave a brilliant interview stating how they could now do more locally as the incident had been stood down to a significant event from a major incident. I tidied up the interview a little but importantly did not change the context of any question or answer and sent to our local news team and my breakfast presenter colleague.
This is aired the next morning and added to our website listen on demand via the news page that had now been created on our website. The national news had shelved the story now to brief articles and BBC “Newswatch” stating that there had been a North South Divide on the BBC for news coverage of Sink Holes but locally we continued. We now are taking the grass roots approach and speaking to a Godstone Parish Councillor, broadcasting that the next morning, this led to finding out about the residents meeting That residents meeting took place Tuesday evening of the25th February, I found a press seat made ready and duly took my place amongst a packed youth centre learning that now the Hole (Nicknamed “Simon the Sinkhole” by some residents) was now not a sinkhole but simply referred to as a collapse.
The meeting was understandably heated at times but nevertheless interesting and I gained another 5 interview sat the end with now what the story is becoming displaced families, businesses one closed and others struggling with figures down by 90% a day! Those families are the human part of all this, and you have to remain impartial as a reporter but you feel the situation; a father with a young baby daughter – a new family evacuated at 1am in the morning and bounced through 3 different locations in 4 days that the little girl was crying at night and not letting go of her parents.
Others given only two nights in a local Travelodge were asking how long was it going to be to get a longer term accommodation package sorted out, insurance companies were arguing that it’s the road not your property so we are not paying out. All this ignoring that the evacuation was that was the risk of gas explosion should the gas main rupture. Surely this should be covered; it’s a safety thing preventing an even larger pay out should the buildings be destroyed or heaven forbid an injury or worse.
We at Susy Radio are for the community and will continue to focus on it, but not to the detriment of our other communities that we cover. However, we will keep asking the questions especially now that the nationals have gone home.
The background to why the Sink Hole appeared is fascinating and there is a lot of speculation. The local historical society and experienced cavers certainly have their theories. The whole Valley from Oxted to Redhill is sandpit after sandpit after sandpit with two currently working quarries, mining the silver sand a very high-grade fine sand used for instance in glass making.
Then there’s an old quarry “Fullers Earth” closed years ago and became a film set near Redhill. Then to the North – The Downs and the caves run from Oxted to Reigate under the A22 Godstone Bypass (there are a few concrete pillars near the top to prevent people parking as the caves are only a few meters below at this point) this links to Merstham where Alfred Nobel (yes, he of the peace prize) tested dynamite for the first time. In the caves under Reigate Castle you can have a party in, take a tour or film a pop video! Apparently, you can navigate underground from Reigate to Oxted using the cave system. Back to the caves and tunnels of Godstone. It is alleged in history that pirate turned smuggler John Trenchman used tunnels beneath Godstone to hide his ill gains. He was shot on Tilburstow Hill, Godstone and crawled to the Fox and Hounds Pub where he died (and apparently still haunts) and is buried in a grave at St. Nicholas`s church, Godstone with a stone carrying the Skull and Crossbones!
Then as history moves on the sand pits become ponds, lakes, and even as in Bay Pond Godstone powering the local mill producing Gunpowder for the Tower of London. Some of the ponds and lakes are used now for wildlife conservation, open water swimming, diving and sailing.
Despite all of this I personally feel for everyone involved not only the residents affected who could be out of their homes for a year as indicated at the recent meeting, but also the children involved getting to school having now to take a detour through the footpaths of the village to get from the North of the village to the primary school on the edge of the green on the South side. The delivery drivers and motorists are struggling to navigate or avoid the area. The local businesses face uncertainty, although business rates relief is on the cards.
Then the investigators, negotiators, advisors and council employees, engineers and councillors and MP who are all involved. Sometimes “too many cooks spoil the broth” and the communications fail. They have here but they are learning and learning fast how to communicate, learning how to act, learning how to investigate. I just hope it does not take years to fix this! Investigations continue, but maybe better road fixing would have identified the issues sooner, maybe better traffic management and speed restrictions would have reduced the vibration in the ground.
Regards Susy Radio; we are the local Community Radio Station; we listen, we report, we support and help when and where we can! And we will still be here for the community long after this is a distant memory in the minds of the national media.
We are still communicating and interviewing people from the Godstone Collapse Support Group, updating our socials and local news coverage as a temporary support solution was introduced pumping in foam cement. Morestructural tests and LIDAR tests have to be completed and we have reported at the time of writing this that 6 families have now been allowed to return to their homes but still many more are displaced currently. I`m heading again toGodstone tonight to jam with musician friends and be part of a new song that is being written entitled “The Godstone Hole” performed by all the local “Jammers”!
Neil Munday
Director, Presenter & Reporter - Susy Radio Ltd
Director and Council member - Community Media Association
http://www.susyradio.com/2025/02/23/godstone-sinkhole-continues-to-grow/
http://www.susyradio.com/2025/02/26/godstone-village-meeting-about-the-sinkhole/
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