The owner of a family car swallowed up by a sinkhole said he is "thankful" his family were not hurt in the "crazy" incident.

The blue seven-seater Vauxhall Zafira fell into the large crater which opened up on Woodland Terrace in Greenwich, south London, in the early hours of yesterday morning, forcing roads to be shut off and bus routes diverted.

Ghazi Hassan told the Press Association: "In life you have good days and bad days. This morning wasn't a good day.

"It's just a car, it's insured so someone will come and pull it. No need to worry or not to be calm, I don't see any reason for that.

"But I'm thankful me or my family wasn't in the car," he added.

Mr Hassan had left the car outside the house of his brother, who called him with the news on Thursday morning.

He said: "I wasn't happy when he called but things happen.

"You can say it's a crazy day. A car went down so you can say it's crazy or not but as I say the positive side is no-one hurt."

Mr Hassan added: "I've told the insurance. They are coming to pick it up and repair it so that's the positive side, and that no-one was injured."

Residents in the leafy street said they heard a "sound like thunder" at around 4am when a large hole opened up in the ground outside.

The family car is wedged in the hole, where it was initially believed to be resting on a utilities pipe, causing gas and water engineers to be called to the scene.

However, a spokesman for the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council said workers had discovered that the car was not resting on a pipe, alleviating fears that residents would need to be evacuated.

Mr Hassan's brother, Abdul Ahmadzai, said: "I woke up very surprised. The police were here about 4am so I came outside and saw the car - they said it was in a hole. I thought 'There's nothing I can do' and went back to sleep.

"I just woke up again now."

His brother had owned the estate car for three or four years, he added.

Cleo O'Kane, 25, who lives opposite the sinkhole - which is around three metres wide and appears to be several metres deep - said police told her some residents might have to be evacuated.

She said: "I thought it was thunder - I heard a loud bang, but it was raining so much I thought it was thunder.

"It must have been around 4am. I woke up and then just went back to sleep - my window was open - then woke up at six this morning, came outside and there was a car in a hole.

"I've been here for eight years and have never seen anything like this happen."

She added: "Police said they don't know what's going on. They said the car is stuck on a gas pipe or a water pipe. They might have to evacuate all the houses.

"All the car is resting on apparently is a pipe, otherwise it would have disappeared."

The car was parked on the road outside Benefice of Charlton St Thomas' Church, less than half-a-mile from Charlton Athletic football stadium.

The Rev Erica Wooff, the rector of Charlton, who lives next door to the church, said her initial reaction was: "Oh my goodness, there's a hole in the road."

"There was a massive storm last night. It has been raining constantly for the past two days but I didn't hear tarmac rip open," she said.

"I've been here for eight years, I've never seen anything like this."

Ms Wooff confirmed the church was closed and that she was working with the community and authorities.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called to the street and discovered the car partially in the hole.

A police spokesman said no-one had been injured in the incident.

 

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