Sinkhole swallows people carrier in southeast London street

A car has fallen into a sinkhole in a London road - sparking fears that local homes will have to be evacuated.

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

A blue seven-seater Vauxhall Zafira had been partially swallowed up by it and is resting on a utilities pipe which has prevented it from falling all the way in.

Police have warned locals living in Woodland Terrace in Greenwich that their homes may have to be evacuated.

The car was parked on the road outside Benefice of Charlton St Thomas’ Church by a man who was visiting his brother on Wednesday night.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called to the street at 3.23am on Thursday and discovered the car partially in the hole.

A police spokesman said nobody had been injured in the incident.

He added: “Officers are on the scene and there is a cordon in place. The local authority has been called and there are other agencies on scene.”

A Royal Borough of Greenwich spokesman said: “Royal Borough of Greenwich officers are on site and are continuing to work closely with Southern Gas Networks (SGN), Thames Water and the police to ensure that the situation is contained.

“As an immediate measure, the road has been closed to traffic.

"We are ensuring that Thames Water and SGN are communicating with households at the scene. We will be issuing more information as it is received. "The Royal Borough of Greenwich will always have an interest in the welfare of, and inconvenience to, local residents." PA