18/12/2014

32ft Crater Appears In Garden Of Family Home

A 32ft wide and 16ft deep crater has appeared in the garden of a house in Berkshire.

The hole began to appear on 05 December in the garden of a family home in Upper Basildon, near Reading, and has continued to grow in size.

It is understood that the house sits atop a 19th century brick factory and that tunnels run around 52ft beneath street level.

Investigators have said that the crater is not a sink hole but a crown hole – which defines a collapse due to manmade tunnels in the ground rather than naturally formed.

According to reports, the family that live at the house are waiting on a decision from their insurance company before they can repair the damage. However, John Lewis Insurance rejected a previous claim for a smaller hole that appeared in their driveway in February.

(MH/JP)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

11 August 2009
Rise In Mortgage Lending
Lending for house purchase and remortgaging both increased in June, according to lenders. New data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows further signs of stabilisation in the mortgage market, but transactions are still weak on a historic basis. There were 45,000 house purchase loans, worth £5.9 bn, up 23% from 36,500 loans in May.
12 February 2014
M2 Remains Closed After Mystery Hole Opens In Central Reservation
The M2 in Kent remains closed following the appearance of a 6ft wide and 15ft deep hole in the motorway's central reservation. Some 10 miles of the road between Junction five and Junction six have been closed since the hole appeared on Tuesday. Emergency safety checks and repairs are now underway at the site between Stockbury and Faversham.
15 May 2009
Government Takes Steps To Begin Flu Vaccination
Agreements have been signed between the UK government and vaccine manufactures to secure supplies of up to 90 million doses of pre-pandemic H1N1 vaccine, the Department of Health has announced today.
09 April 2009
Police Watchdog To Question G20 Officer
A police watchdog is to interview the officer thought to be shown on video pushing a man at the G20 summit protests, who later died. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed the officer identified himself to investigators on Wednesday. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said no officers had been suspended.
17 June 2008
Pilot Survives Harrier Crash
A Royal Navy pilot has ejected to safety as the aircraft he was flying crashed near Ashwell yesterday. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that a Harrier GR7 aircraft crashed on farmland in Rutland just before 1.50pm.