Ripon Sinkhole: 7 Houses Evacuated After 66ft Wide Hole Of ‘Unknown Depth’ Opens

'Swallowed the garden so ‘twill be an interesting night.'
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Seven houses in North Yorkshire have been evacuated after a 66ft wide sinkhole opened across two gardens.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Two fire crews and an officer from Ripon attended a sinkhole that had appeared at the rear of two properties.

“There were no injuries but seven properties were evacuated.

“The hole measured approx. 20m (66ft) by 10m (33ft) with an unknown depth.

“We are re-attending the incident this morning with several other agencies who attended during the night.”

Ben Bramley was one of the residents evacuated on Wednesday evening. He tweeted: “30ft deep sinkhole enveloping the back garden occurred at 10.30. Been told to leave the house for the night.”

He added: “Yeah, they’ve evacuated our row. Swallowed the garden so ‘twill be an interesting night.”  

Sinkholes are relatively common in Ripon and are usually caused by the dissolution of thick gypsum deposits beneath the area.