People living in a quiet area of the Vinters Park Estate woke up on Thursday morning to find the ground had literally opened up in front of them.

At some point late in Wednesday night or early yesterday morning, a huge hole around 30ft deep opened up on a central grass verge along Challock Walk.

Anyone brave enough to peer into it would have seen layers of mud, muddy water and raw sewage at the bottom of the hole.

Fortunately it did not happen during the day, when people could have been walking along the grass verge, which is halfway between two rows of houses.

Engineers who were at the scene Thursday afternoon believe the sewer which runs underneath the length of the grass verge could have collapsed and taken the ground with it.

EDF Energy sent a contractor to the scene on Thursday morning as the sewer collapse also severed a power cable, which began sparking.

One house had been left without power and EDF Energy contractors were working to restore the power and make the cable safe.

Kent County Council had also sent their engineers to the scene.

Scott Howes, of Challock Walk, said: “This is not the first time this ground has collapsed before. My mother-in-law remembers this happening around seven or eight years ago.

“I just discovered it on Thursday morning when my neighbour called round and said she didn’t have any electrics and then we saw the hole.

“It is really fortunate no-one was injured, but it is very dangerous. You can see around three to four metres down, through the topsoil and then lots of muddy water.”