IT ALL began on Monday, when mother-of-three, Lee Coldham came out of her front door on Blackshots Lane and noticed a small hole in the front forecourt of her home.
By Friday evening, the whole family had been moved to a hotel and the nation’s media had descended on the house as if we expected Michael Rennie to ascend out of the ground announcing “Klaatu barada nikto!”
The entire drive has now caved in and has prompted fears that the house could collapse.
The crater is an old denehole (as in the Denehole roundabout nearby), an ancient underground chalk mine. It was common practice to spread chalk on the fields up until the 19th century, and the caves date as far back as the Roman times.
Thurrock Council has closed off one lane outside the home opposite Impulse Leisure centre as engineers work to ensure that gas pipes and electricity supplies are made safe.
The family have lived in the property for nearly a decade. They had the house surveyed when they bought it, although no denehole was spotted.
Thurrock Council said they are taking all necessary precautions.
There have been a number of “Denehole” problems before. In 2010, a crater appeared in Lodge Lane, less than a mile away from the Coldham’s.
