U.K. sinkhole forces about a dozen homes to evacuate

RIPON, England, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A sinkhole in England forced about a dozen residents to evacuate from a town in North Yorkshire.

The large sinkhole which opened up on Wednesday near Magdalen's Road in Ripon measured about 60 feet wide and 30 feet deep forcing residents of 12 homes out of the area, according to ITV.

Additional cracks continued to appear in the area through Friday, as experts from the British Geological Survey used an aerial drone to determine whether the hole will grow larger.

"The area is well-known for gypsum deposits, so it's not the first time we have encountered this - although this particular sinkhole does appear to be quite large," North Yorkshire Fire Service station manager Ben Cairns told the BBC.

No injuries were reported, but the area was cordoned off after fire crews arrived at the hole.

"The fire brigade and contractors were saying that it's likely to be structurally unsafe for a period of time, so we would need to move out," resident Ben Bramley said. "We might even be officially homeless."