Ripon sinkhole is latest in UK-wide spate

Homes evacuated in Ripon close to sinkhole Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

A sinkhole which has opened up in Ripon in North Yorkshire is the latest in a spate to appear across the UK in recent weeks.

A 35ft wide and 20ft deep hole also appeared on Saturday morning under homes in a quiet cul-de-sac in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

Last week a stretch of the M2 in north Kent was closed after a 15ft deep hole was discovered in the central reservation.

30ft-deep sinkhole opened up in drivewayand swallowed a car Credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

On February 2, a teenager's car was swallowed after a 30ft deep crater appeared on a family's driveway in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

The hole in Ripon is thought to have been caused by an underground gypsum fault.