Residents have been left horrified after a 20ft sinkhole suddenly opened up on a housing estate built over an abandoned colliery.
The huge crater appeared above old mine workings at Craster Square in the Coxlodge area of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, just before 11am today.
Dramatic pictures show the sheer size of the deep hole, which stretches the width of the road, and how it has left one lone car stranded on a driveway.
The huge 20ft sinkhole appeared on a residential street, in front of a set of garages (pictured), above an abandoned colliery at Craster Square in the Gosforth area of Newcastle upon Tyne just before 11am today. No one was injured but the site has now been cordoned off.
The massive hole appeared on the site of an old shaft connected to former mine workings that belong to the National Coal Board (NCB).
No one was injured when the hole became visible, despite it reaching from the edge of one property's drive to another.
Police officers have now cordoned off the area and officials have been assessing the scene.
A police spokesman has said: 'We were called to a report of a sinkhole that had appeared.
'Officers attended and placed a cordon around the area. Nobody has been injured and police remain at the scene to assist making the area safe.'
The sinkhole was reported to the police by 58-year-old resident Doreen Murphy, who has lived in the square for 17 years and who was sorting out her garage when she heard a 'rumbling sound'.
She said: 'It was at the same time that the bin men were coming around so I thought it was them. But then the sound kept getting louder and louder and there was a big crash. 'I looked out of my garage and there was a big hole there. At first I was worried I couldn't get out. I was in shock and didn't know what to do so I phoned the police and told them what had happened.'
Another resident, Kyle Common, 26, said: 'It is just so strange to think that this could happen so close to where we live. Someone could have been driving there or had a car parked there. It was quite a shock.'
John Smith, who has lived in the area for 15 years, said his garage has been cordoned off as it is so close to the sinkhole. He said: 'At around 11.30am this morning the police knocked on my door and asked me about my garage and then they informed me that a big sinkhole had appeared in the ground. 'It happened very suddenly, I didn't actually hear any rumbles or noise. I don't have access to my garage but my car is out in the front . 'We have always known that there were pit yards here and there was a cobbled dome, which is like cap on top of a pit shaft, exactly where the sinkhole is.'
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said they had moved their car just in the nick of time. They added: 'This morning when I took when car out of my garage there was a slight four inch dip in the ground. 'I returned about 90 minutes later and saw that the ground had sunken in. There was a mineshaft in this area and that is probably what has caused this.'
Resident Leah O'Malley, 20, said: 'When I came out of my flat this morning, the ground was fine but there was a lady here who was worried about the state of the ground. 'I went back inside and came back out later to find that the huge hole had appeared. I was absolutely shocked.
COXLODGE COLLIERY HISTORY
The sinkhole in Gosforth has appeared above one of the former sites of Coxlodge Colliery.
There were two main pits in the colliery, one which was situated on Jubilee Road - just off Crasters Crescent where today's huge crater has appeared.
Official documents show that the exact location of today's sinkhole is above the entrance shaft of the former mine.
The Jubilee Pit, so called in commemoration of the jubilee attaining the 50th year of on George III's reign, is 68 fathoms deep.
Meanwhile, the second pit owned by Coxlodge - the Regent Pit - situated elsewhere in the city, is 92 fathoms deep.
An explosion occurred at the Gosforth mine on July 9, 1821, in which one man lost his life.
'A fire engine and police officers turned up and this lady was shaking. She said she was worried about falling into the sinkhole and it was a shock to find the ground collapsed.
'We are all wondering why this has happened.'
Meanwhile, resident Kirsty Mensah, 39, a customer service worker, said she was 'very concerned' about how the sinkhole had occurred. She said: 'It is a weak spot in the mine workings so there needs to be lots of tests to make sure other areas are safe. It could have been a block of flats or some kids riding their bikes or playing. 'There needs to be the right procedures and tests to reassure the public that this won't happen again.'
The geology of the area does have former coal mining present. It is the ancient working methods which may leave roads susceptible to sinkhole formation.
Sinkholes are the result of a collapse of the surface material into a void underground.
In the 19th century, when Coxlodge Colliery was in operation, the Jubilee Pit was on Jubilee Road opposite Jubilee Crescent in Gosforth.
A spokesman from Newcastle City Council said: 'We are aware that a 20-30ft hole has appeared near Craster Square in Coxlodge, Gosforth.
'We understand that this an old shaft connected to former mine workings that belong to the National Coal Board (NCB).
'Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service are both in attendance, as well as the council's Technical and Structural Engineering Teams who are providing assistance to emergency services.
'NCB have been contacted and their Emergency Response Team is attending the scene.'
However, John Delaney, from the Coal Authority, said he had not seen a sinkhole this big for some time.
He said: 'They will conduct the necessary investigation to establish if it is coal mining related and, if they do, make good the damage.
'We will be looking at old maps of the former coal mines in the area to see which one might be responsible.'
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