Man, 87, 'staying put' in home metres from 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 don't 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.

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."

Meanwhile, residents said on Thursday they feared they would be homeless for months.

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."