sinkhole cottingham
© newsteamDavid Mason, 77, surveys the hole that has appeared in front of his home in Cottingham, Northamptonshire
An elderly couple fear their £210,000 bungalow could be swallowed up after a giant sink hole appeared in their front garden.

Great-grandparents David Mason, 77, and his wife Sylvia, 75, first spotted a small hole by the kerb outside their home on December 30 but thought it was caused by a lorry.

But the hole expanded at a 'staggering' speed and now measures 16ft by 12ft and is only a few feet away from their front door.

The 3ft-deep crater was first caused by a burst water main but heavy rain meant it grew even further.

The couple, who have two grown-up daughters, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, now fear they may have to leave the bungalow they purchased three and a half years ago.

sinkhole cottingham
The 3ft-deep crater was first caused by a burst water main but heavy rain meant it grew even further
Mr Mason, who lives at the property in Cottingham, Northamptonshire, said today: 'I am genuinely concerned about the safety of our property because the hole is creeping nearer our front door almost by the hour.

'My wife is disabled after having a stroke a few years ago and this is causing more worry for her because if we have to get out we don't know where we'll go.

'The speed of it happening has been quite staggering.'

Mr Mason, who ran a motorcycle repair business before he retired, added: 'It got progressively worse, so I got the police out and they put a temporary barrier around it.

'They must have contacted someone because later that night someone came out to put a more permanent enclosure around the hole.

'It was amazing how rapidly it escalated. We just sat and watched it happen in front of our eyes.'

sinkhole cottingham
The retired great-grandparents fear they may have to leave their bungalow because of the sinkhole
The initial burst water main was fixed by Anglia Water, but an assessor came to inspect the hole and found another leak.

Mr Mason said: 'We have not contacted the insurers yet because we need to know exactly how bad the situation is going to get.

'Hopefully the hole will stop getting any bigger but it's a worrying time.'