A major incident has been declared after a huge sinkhole opened up beneath a canal in Shropshire.
At least ten people have been rescued from narrowboats after the crater, around 50 metres by 50 metres in size, started to develop at 4.22am in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch.
Firefighters were called to rescue occupants of three narrowboats after the section of the canal they were moored in completely drained of water.
Two narrowboats have fallen into the hole and are left sitting on the canal bed today, while one remains teetering over the edge.
Crews battled through ‘unstable ground and rapidly moving water’ as they began to rescue 14 members of the public.
The canal bank collapsed leaving large volumes of water escaping into the surrounding land.
Residents have been urged to avoid the area, while emergency services respond to the incident.
A ‘multi-agency’ response has since been set up but no injuries have been reported.
Councillor Andy Hall who represents Whitchurch North said the focus would be on looking after the people evacuated from the scene.
A sinkhole, 50 metres by 50 metres in size opened up in a canal in Shropshire
Pictures show the damage caused to the two narrowboats which were caught in the sinkhole
Aerial images show the destruction caused to two of the boats which have been left at the bottom of the sinkhole
Firefighters rushed to rescue around 10 crew members from canal boats as the sinkhole opened up
Water rapidly drained from the section of the canal where three narrowboats were moored
Three boats were caught up in a section of the canal which completely drained with water
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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.’
A canal boat resident told of his miracle escape after his boat got swallowed by the sinkhole.
Bob Wood, 75, was sleeping on his canal boat shortly before it was sucked into the giant hole on the Llangollen Canal at around 4am today.
Mr Wood, who has been living on the boat for eight years, had only moored up at the site last night.
He told how he woke and had to flee the boat as it descended into the giant hole.
He said: ‘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 thought I was in the middle of a big storm, there was the sound of a lot of water.
‘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 foot in the air and I landed on my front.’
One boat remains on the edge of the sinkhole while two others are trapped in the hole
Three boats were left stranded, with two inside the hole following the incident this morning
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
Mr Wood said he quickly went to the boat next to him to alert the occupants hammering on the boat to wake them up.
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.’
Dr Jonathan Paul, Associate Professor in Earth Science, Royal Holloway, University of London, described how sinkholes, like the one in Whitchurch, are formed.
He said: ‘Sinkholes form where water percolates through permeable and soluble rock like limestone, slowly dissolving it. Over time, large cavities in the sub-surface may be created, which might eventually cave in to form the sinkhole.
‘In some cases, so-called ‘sinkholes’ results from intense underground flooding from burst water mains.
‘It is very tough to predict to a reasonable degree of accuracy where and when sinkholes might form. This is because the flow of water through the ground is very poorly constrained, as well as the strength, porosity, and permeability (i.e. degree of fracturing) of the rock layers through which the water flows.’
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 and seeing 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’.
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.
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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.’
