A defiant elderly couple are refusing to leave their home despite the huge sinkholes cracking their road open.

Brendon and Catherine Davis, who live in the picturesque village of Godstone, Surrey, believe their home – which is 150 years old – was “built to last” so they have no need to flee. Brendon, 87, said: “We’re not going anywhere. My grandfather built that house and we know it will last. When he built the house, he packed the foundations with stones. It’s not going to cave in. In fact there is more rock underneath the house than there is above it.”

His wife Catherine, 90, told the MailOnline: “We are not afraid. […] We know it was built to last. Emergency services have erected a cordon on the high street and shuttered off two adjoining roads earlier this week after an enormous sinkhole – measuring 62ft long and 10ft wide – cracked open the tarmac.

A number of buildings were evacuated and some homes left without water, with Surrey County Council declaring a major incident in the village. Some of the properties don’t have the same ancestry as Brendon’s after being built as recently as three years ago. Some believe the road sits on top of a sand quarry, meaning there could be caverns under the foundations of their £500,000 homes.

While the Davis’s are staying put, other families have been seen running in and out of their homes to collect belongings. One of them, an expectant mother whose due date is in a matter of days, said: “I am trying to keep as calm as possible.” Her husband said they were popping in to collect some things needed for his wife and the baby ahead of the big day. “It’s an absolute nightmare. Dreadful,” said Tracey Jones, whose daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were evacuated.

Local resident Simon Marnus, 56, said: “Over the last few years, especially with the increase in traffic and new development, it (the sinkhole) was inevitable. The road has noticeably subsided over the last three or four years, and it was going to happen, sadly.” Another local Janet Kay, 77, who was unable to attend her dentist appointment in the village due to the ongoing repair work, said: “I feel sorry for the people with shops and the people who have bought these homes. How long are the shop owners not going to be able to open for? And would you buy those people’s homes?”

Garage owner Shane Fry, 34, who runs DD Services Ltd car repair shop, said the decision to close the road was causing him a “headache”, and the company has “lost business during the day as nobody is driving past with their cars”. He said that some customers have “decided to try and wait out the storm to see if it’s going to get any easier” to have their vehicles repaired – and highlighted the logistical challenges he has faced trying to keep the garage open.

“We are having to meet our customers down the road and drive them up ourselves, it means that we are getting our steps in,” he explained. My main priority is to make sure we can carry on working. We have staff that rely on wages, I’ve got bills to pay, and they’ve got bills to pay – maybe it’s a bit selfish when people have been kicked out of their homes, but we’ve got our own bills to pay as well.”

He added: “We just need someone to take responsibility for it because the moment someone starts taking responsibility, we will start getting answers.”

Carl Bussey, Surrey County Council assistant director for safer communities and chair of the strategic coordination group for the incident said: “We are working together with emergency services and utility companies, as well as our highways colleagues and Tandridge District Council, to protect the public and property in the area.

“Investigations are continuing to make the area safe and to repair utilities, and we ask people remain away from the vicinity while important work is ongoing. We will keep people updated as the situation develops. Residents from within the cordon – around 30 properties – are being supported by Tandridge District Council with advice around accommodation.

“Highways diversions are also in place. The Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet throughout this incident to ensure everything is being done to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.”

SES Water confirmed supplies to people without water was restored after some were left without as as result of the sudden sinkhole. A statement uploaded to X said: “We’d like to thank our customers for their patience whilst our teams worked as part of a multi-agency response to the sinkhole.”

Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories