People in Godstone have lost their water supply, their back gardens and even been evacuated since Monday night

• ‘We’re just terrified’: People evacuate homes after sinkhole appears on Surrey high street

“If we lose the car, we lose the car,” said Fran Pavely. The 81-year-old’s bright orange family motor sits perilously close to a hole in the ground that, since Monday, has continued to get bigger.

Her husband summed up how the couple felt about the prospect of losing their trusty four-wheeler. “It’s not the end of the world,” said Iain Pavely, 83. “We don’t drive around in it much.”