Sinkhole in UK swallows family's car

[Jar Jar Binks]

Sinkhole in UK swallows family's car

Yahoo!7 and wires February 3, 2014, 2:22 pm

A sinkhole nine metres deep opened up near a family home in the UK. Photo: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue

A 9-metre deep sinkhole has opened up in the driveway of a British house and swallowed a family's car.

Firefighters were called to the property in High Wycombe, about 53km west of London, at about 8.30am to find a hole 4.5m in diameter.

No-one was inside the Volkswagen Lupo when the hole opened up. The vehicle remains at the bottom of the sinkhole, covered in rubble.

The car ended up on its side at the bottom of the sinkhole, covered in rubble. Photo: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue

A Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said firefighters were at the scene for about an hour, placed a cordon around the sinkhole and gave safety advice before handing control of the site to the local council.

Sinkholes are relatively rare in the UK, although some areas are particularly prone. Photo: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue

Areas prone to sinkholes occur throughout the UK, according to the British Geological Survey, although most are relatively small or are in upland rural locations.

Those in South East England may result from the collapse of chalk strata, especially where they have been hidden by younger clay and sand deposits.

Sinkholes are relatively uncommon in South East England. Photo: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue