SECOND giant sinkhole appears in Kent

A second giant sinkhole has opened up in Kent - this time in a family's back garden.

Gretel Davidson said she didn't believe her 12-year-old daughter when she rang her to say a huge black hole had appeared in their lawn.

But when she got home she discovered the 17ft-deep, 10ft-wide chasm.

The sinkhole is the second to appear in the region after a 15ft-deep hole appeared in the central reservation of the M2 yesterday.

Experts have suggested they could be a result of the recent wet weather.

Shocked Gretel is now facing a £10,000 bill to have it repaired because her insurers say it hasn't damaged her home and they won't be paying up.

Gretel, a radiographer from Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, said: "I just feel totally helpless. Mia rang me to say 'Mum there is a massive hole in the garden'.

"I didn't really believe her and just thought she was going over the top.

"It is just unbelievable to think a hole that size could appear overnight and out of nowhere."

Emma Stoner / Newsquest / Cascade News SHOCKED mum Gretel Davidson is facing a 10,000 bill after a huge sinkhole deeper than a double-decker bus appeared overnight in her back garden
Shock: Gretel's insurers say the hole is not endangering her home and won't pay for it to be repaired

Gretel, 55, knocked on her neighbour's doors to try and get some help but nobody had any idea what to do.

She added: "I got in touch with the council but they said they couldn't help because it's my own property.

"I then got in touch with Halifax, my home insurance, and they said the hole is too far away from my home so they couldn't help either.

"I am just devastated. I spent the whole weekend crying and have been doing everything I can to try and sort it out."

Structural engineer Dan Baker, director of DJB Structural Engineers Ltd in Erith, looked at the hole on Saturday and is drawing up an action plan.

He said: "It is a naturally occurring oblique swallow hole. It could cost upwards of £10,000 to fix.

"It is just one of those things you cannot predict - a total act of God.

"They are not common but they have been known to happen in this area in the past.

"Thankfully nobody was in the garden because someone could have died.

"We have got to make it safe as soon as possible."

Emma Stoner / Newsquest / Cascade News SHOCKED mum Gretel Davidson is facing a 10,000 bill after a huge sinkhole deeper than a double-decker bus appeared overnight in her back garden
Phenomenon: An engineer says the huge whole is a rare "act of God"

A Bexley Council spokesman added: "Under such circumstances, the reinstatement work becomes the responsibility of the owner.

"Although the council is not liable for the reinstatement work, it is happy to provide advice.

"The owner was advised to contact her insurance company to see if her policy covers the incident.

"Our structural engineer also discussed the standard method used in the past to fill in these holes and provided the contact number of a reputable building contractor so that she could obtain a quotation."

A spokesman for Halifax Insurance said: "Following a thorough investigation our engineers are confident that this sinkhole has not caused any damage to the property and poses no threat to the structure of the home, therefore it is not covered by the insurance policy.

"As a gesture of goodwill however, we will offer to put a fence up around the sinkhole in the interest of health and safety."