Council 'Did Not Think Sinkhole Would Collapse'

Hertfordshire County Council said it was told about a hole in the footpath last week, but following an inspection "there was no reason to suspect that the hole would collapse". Julie Langford, who lives on the street, told Sky News she had been unable to take her car out of the driveway to head to work on Thursday morning. According to Peter Hobbs, an engineering geologist with the British Geological Survey, sinkholes are caused by the dissolution of rock, such as chalk.