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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Driveway sinkhole: Conran family speaks about VW Lupo hole shock | Driveway sinkhole: Conran family speaks about VW Lupo hole shock |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A family has told how their daughter could have been "buried alive" if she had been in her car when a 30ft (9m) sinkhole swallowed it up. | A family has told how their daughter could have been "buried alive" if she had been in her car when a 30ft (9m) sinkhole swallowed it up. |
| Nobody was inside the VW Lupo when the ground on Main Road in Walter's Ash, High Wycombe, gave way on Sunday. | Nobody was inside the VW Lupo when the ground on Main Road in Walter's Ash, High Wycombe, gave way on Sunday. |
| Liz Conran, who lives in the house with her husband Phil, said the car belonged to their daughter Zoe. | Liz Conran, who lives in the house with her husband Phil, said the car belonged to their daughter Zoe. |
| "She was in absolute hysterics," she said. "It didn't dawn on us what had happened until after about an hour." | "She was in absolute hysterics," she said. "It didn't dawn on us what had happened until after about an hour." |
| The vehicle is still at the bottom of the 15ft (4.5m) diameter hole and covered in rubble. | The vehicle is still at the bottom of the 15ft (4.5m) diameter hole and covered in rubble. |
| It is thought the hole has been caused by a mixture of mining tunnels beneath the ground and heavy rain. | |
| 'I'm quite lucky' | 'I'm quite lucky' |
| The car is so far down that it cannot be seen from the house. | |
| Describing the moment Zoe Smith realised her car was missing, she said: "I went to walk out the front door and obviously my car wasn't there and I thought 'Oh my that's a bit strange'. | |
| "So I went back inside, looked out of the window thinking someone has stolen my car. | "So I went back inside, looked out of the window thinking someone has stolen my car. |
| "There was just a crater at which point I screamed the house down. | "There was just a crater at which point I screamed the house down. |
| "I'm quite lucky I've got parents who are good in a crisis and said its okay, its just a car and you weren't in it." | "I'm quite lucky I've got parents who are good in a crisis and said its okay, its just a car and you weren't in it." |
| Mrs Conran said she was "very worried" about their family home. | Mrs Conran said she was "very worried" about their family home. |
| 'Full of earth' | |
| "We are expecting the house insurance people to instruct engineers to come and have a look. | "We are expecting the house insurance people to instruct engineers to come and have a look. |
| "The police would not let us stay here last night so we stayed with our neighbours. | "The police would not let us stay here last night so we stayed with our neighbours. |
| "We are not sure whether they will try and get the car out because heavy machinery on the driveway is not a good idea. | "We are not sure whether they will try and get the car out because heavy machinery on the driveway is not a good idea. |
| "If my daughter had been in it at the time, she would have been buried alive. We are counting ourselves very lucky this morning." | "If my daughter had been in it at the time, she would have been buried alive. We are counting ourselves very lucky this morning." |
| Mr Conran said: "The initial shock was very quickly overtaken by relief. | |
| "The car is completely full of earth, it could have been horrendous." |