Fontmell Close and Bridle Close in St Albans remain closed following the opening up of a twenty metre sinkhole in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The road collapsed at about 1am and many families were left stranded in their homes, but escaped via a neighbour’s garden and relocated to an emergency at Batchwood Leisure Centre. No one was injured.

There have been conflicting reports about the size of the hole and the number of people evacuated, but the Herts Advertiser can confirm the hole is 20m by 20m and five households (20 people) were evacuated.

Batchwood is still being used as an emergency base for families, but no one stayed overnight.