Locals throw birthday party for sinkhole with spoof song

By Isobel Williams

A group of singers gathered to celebrate the one-year anniversary of a huge Surreysinkhole - with a spoof version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

It has been almost exactly a year since Surrey County Council declared a major incident and 30 homes were evacuated as a sinkhole appeared in Godstone.

To mark the occasion, Toria Willson, 50, who is the founder of group Sing It Out, decided it would be a fun idea to celebrate the hole’s first birthday with balloons, candles, and a song.

The singing troop gathered at the site on Monday, February 9, for the party, where they performed a rendition of Bridge over Troubled Water dedicated to the cavity.

Footage shows the group swaying with their phone torches on as they belt the spoof song, with the lyrics “bridge over the Godstone sinkhole.”

Toria says that they had already been rehearsing the Simon & Garfunkel classic, which is why they decided to use it for the celebration.

She said: “We just wanted to do something silly and sing a song by the sinkhole to wish it a happy first birthday. It was just a bit of a tongue in cheek idea.

“People grabbed balloons and lights, whatever they could to make it more of an occasion. Some people thought we were a bit odd for doing it, but I just like to keep a bit of humour in life.

“All my singers really enjoyed it. It was just something a bit different from our usual rehearsal. I hope we are not here this time next year for a second birthday.”

The 65ft (20m) long sinkhole is said to have been caused by a network of Victorian sand-mining tunnels 10 meters below the surface.

Since it opened, a large portion of the road has been closed off, with shops forced to close, homes evacuated, and traffic diverted.

Toria, who lives on the high street mere steps away from the sinkhole with her husband and three children, says they first noticed the problem when they woke up without water.

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She said: “It was something that you can’t even imagine happening right on your front doorstep. It is very surreal.

“The night the hole opened we had a singing rehearsal at my house, and several of the singers had walked where the sinkhole appeared a few hours later. I am just grateful nobody got hurt.”

Though the hole has now been filled in and is no longer visible, Toria says it has still been a tough year dealing with the aftermath.

The mom says they have faced construction noise, generators, having to redirect delivery drivers, and they still face huge detours to walk or drive anywhere.

Toria also claims that lots of local businesses including shops, pubs, cafes, and a barber have struggled without any passing trade.

She added: “It has been a pain for the last year. The whole area has become a bit of a car park for lorries and vans. It is just a mess. You can’t walk through it has all been fenced off.

“We just want it to be fully mended and safe so that it never happens again. People are just a bit over it now. Lots of companies are really struggling and closing down.

“We still don’t really know when it officially is going to be opened because they keep changing the date. It is just incredible to think in this country that it has taken such a long time.”

In January Surrey County Council released an update, stating that the road would likely reopen in spring.

A spokesperson wrote: “Work is continuing on Godstone High Street to fill and stabilise the underground mine network, and ground affected by the collapse, which occurred in February 2025.

“So far, over 600 tonnes of grout have been put in place, ten metres below ground level. These stabilisation works will continue over the coming weeks.

“Once the stabilization works are complete, SES Water will be carrying out their works to fix the three water pipes that were affected by the road collapse.

“Following this, our highways team will return to site for the final reconstruction of the road and pavements.

“Our current expectation is still that the road will be re-opened in the Spring, despite the increased works required to deal with the larger tunnel network that has been identified as our works progressed. Our focus remains on making the area safe and reopening the road as quickly as possible.”