This is the moment a canal boat plunged into a 160ft-wide sinkhole that triggered the waterway’s collapse.
More than a dozen people had to be evacuated from their boats on the Llangollen Canal in Whitchurch, Shropshire, when the giant cavern opened at around 4am.
In a video filmed moments after, a boat can be seen tipping over the sinkhole’s edge, with the sound of wood creaking and shattering as it is swallowed up.
The footage was filmed by Paul Smith-Storey, who runs a YouTube channel called Narrowboat Life Unlocked.
His boat had been moored just 18 yards away from the hole when he was woken by loud noises.
Nearby Bob Wood, 75, was also asleep when his boat started being sucked towards the crater.
He recalled: ‘I was in the boat asleep and I thought I needed to go to the toilet so I got up and thought ”we are leaning a bit”.
‘I opened the back door to see why we were tilting and realised it was not raining at all and it was the water running away under the boat.
‘I jumped on the back and stepped off and that bit was going down at that second. The back went eight feet in the air and I landed on my front.’
Youtuber and narrowboat owner Paul Smith-Storey captured the moment a boat was dragged towards the sinkhole
The boat can be seen tipping over the sinkhole’s edge, with the sound of wood creaking and shattering as it is swallowed up
A barge hanging over the edge of the sinkhole today
Mr Wood said he quickly went over the nearest boat and began hitting the sides of it to wake up the occupants.
He said: ‘He got out really quickly and his boat went down as well. My boat went nose down and his went stern first.’
Mr Wood said he could not see anything because it was black at the time, adding: ‘All I could hear was rushing water.’
Two narrowboats fell into the hole and are now left at the bottom of it, while one remains teetering over the edge.
Crews battled through ‘unstable ground and rapidly moving water’ as they rescued 14 people.
The canal bank collapsed leaving large volumes of water escaping into the surrounding land.
Mr Smith-Storey narrated the moment the sinkhole opened on his YouTube channel.
He said: ‘It is 20 past four in the morning, we have just heard a crash, it woke us both up.
‘The boat is lifting badly, we have gone outside. Phil has just got up, he said he walked forward and there is a breach.
‘Everything has fallen over on the boat, the level has gone down by at least two feet and the flow of water is incredible, I am going to get off.’
Three boats were left stranded, with two inside the hole following the incident this morning
Aerial images show the destruction caused to two of the boats which have been left at the bottom of the sinkhole
A sinkhole, 50 metres by 50 metres in size opened up in a canal in Shropshire
Firefighters rushed to rescue around 10 crew members from canal boats as the sinkhole opened up
Your browser does not support iframes.
Later in the video, he revealed that they had originally planned to move the boat to the area where the sinkhole opened up underneath the canal.
He said he was ‘shocked to see a boat at the bottom of the hole about 12 feet down’.
Mr Smith-Storey said they spoke to one of the owners who lost their boat in the sinkhole.
‘Thank the lord he got off his boat’, he said.
‘He heard the noise and got off his boat thankfully in time because his boat was basically washed away in the bottom of that sinkhole.
‘As we were chatting, the hole seemed to get bigger and was teetering over the edge, more of the bottom of the canal washed away and that boat went over the edge as well.’
Mr Smith-Storey said it was ‘heartbreaking to see’.
He added: ‘I am glad everyone is alright but it is their homes and it is a few days before Christmas.’
Councillor Andy Hall who represents Whitchurch North said the focus would be on looking after the people evacuated from the scene.
He said: ‘We have a team coming down looking at how we are going to house and look after those 14 residents.
‘It is Christmas, so all their belongings, their life is there and our duty is we have to put our arm around them and look after them at this time of year. That is our priority.’
Water rapidly drained from the section of the canal where three narrowboats were moored
Pictures show the damage caused to the two narrowboats which were caught in the sinkhole
Aerial images show the point where the water came bursting out of the canal, trapping two boats in the sinkhole
Floodwater spilled out onto a nearby field after much of the canal was drained
Pictures show the damage caused to one of the boats which has been left in the pit of the sinkhole
The sinkhole caused large volumes of water to escape onto land in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch
Cllr Hall said the occupants of the boats described the incident as feeling ‘like an earthquake’.
He added: ‘It was terrible for the people in their canal boats at that time in the morning.
‘They described it as like feeling like an earthquake.
‘We’ve lost a couple of boats, one is sitting at the bottom of the sinkhole at the moment.
‘There’s one teetering on the edge and could slide down at any time. More has fallen away since we’ve been here this morning.
‘The fire and rescue teams have been all over it. Their biggest worry this morning was making sure everyone was safe and off their boats.’
Cllr Hall praised the fire service for their ‘quick thinking’ which prevented a potential disaster for the nearby town.
Water gates were quickly erected by the fire service to prevent more floodwater reaching surrounding fields and the town centre.
Cllr Hall added: ‘It could have been a lot worse than it is now.
‘Nobody was hurt, everyone is safe and well and we’re looking after 14 people at the moment who live on the boats.
‘It was very scary for them – that is their home and where they live.’
The canal bank collapsed leaving large volumes of water escaping into the surrounding land
Councillor Andy Hall said the council will look at housing the residents of the boats who have lost their homes just days before Christmas
Three boats remain at the bottom of the sinkhole, while others remain stuck on the bottom of the canal
Lib Dem Councillor Sho Abdul said the lack of casualties was an ‘absolute miracle’.
Mr Abdul, who represents Whitchurch West for Shropshire Council, said: ‘Around 4.45am the fire service and the river trust were alerted to the sinkhole.
‘Obviously there was reduced water levels and you can see the impact of what has happened.
‘There were three or four canal boats which have been impacted by the sinkhole which rapidly happened.
‘Thankfully nobody was injured. The lack of casualties is an absolute miracle.
‘I just want to thank the fire service, police and the River and Canal Trust for everything they have done this morning.
‘They have been fantastic at securing the area and making sure nobody was hurt.
‘We were so shocked to see it – it was like an explosive had gone off.
‘It’s an absolute crater, it’s devastating – especially for the people who use this area often.
‘I walk my dogs around here and I know a lot of people will want to around Christmas, so its sad.
‘But more importantly it is just incredible nobody was hurt.
‘The most important thing is to assess the situation further down the canal and making sure there’s no further impact’.
Three boats were caught up in a section of the canal which completely drained with water
One boat can be seen teetering perilously close to the edge of the sinkhole
A water gate installed not long after the disaster which is preventing further water flooding into the field below the sinkhole
Fire crews were joined by West Mercia Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service (including HART), the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, local authority emergency planning officers and National Resilience.
A spokesperson for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Firefighters have been working in challenging conditions with unstable ground and rapidly moving water, crews immediately established upstream and downstream safety sectors and began mitigating water flow using barge boards and water gate systems.’
Area Manager Scott Hurford added: ‘We can confirm no persons are believed to be on board the affected canal boats, and no injuries have been reported.
‘Approximately 14 residents from nearby moored boats are being supported and relocated to a welfare centre at the former Whitchurch Police Station.
‘A major incident was declared at 5.17am however as of 8.30am the situation was stable with water flow reduced and there is no ongoing search and rescue activity.
‘Multiagency attendance remains in place to manage the environmental impact, protect nearby properties, and ensure public safety. Please avoid the area while we continue to deal with this significant incident.’
Paul Donnelly, from Middlewich-based Floating Holidays, came to assess the scene amid concerns about the impact on the canal.
He said the canal is a ‘huge focus for tourism’ and the sink hole will have a major long term impact for businesses that use the canal.
He said the route is known to attract people from across the world.
Join the debate
What does this sinkhole disaster reveal about the state of our infrastructure and emergency planning?
Paul Donnelly, from Middlewich-based Floating Holidays, said the sinkhole will have a major long term impact on local businesses
The flooding caused to the nearby field after water came flooding out of the canal
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) advised boaters and residents that an emergency closure is in place along the canal.
A spokesperson for the CRT said: ‘Please be advised that due to an incident, there is an emergency closure in place between Lock 6 Grindley Locks and Bridge 31A, Whitchurch By-Pass bridge.
‘Please do not approach from either direction and we will provide an update in due course.’
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: ‘A major incident had been declared in Shropshire following reports of a sinkhole affecting a canal in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch.
‘Emergency services are currently on scene, and a multi-agency response has been set up, co-ordinated through the Shropshire Tactical Co-ordination Group (TCG).
‘There are currently no reports of any casualties, and residents are being assisted by the fire service.
‘We ask that people avoid the area and seek alternate routes. Further updates will be provided when we are able to do so.’
