Motorbiker ‘plunges into’ 20ft sinkhole which opened up before him in London street

Four-metre deep hole spotted on Tuesday evening in Bexleyheath

A motorbiker had a “lucky escape” after riding into a huge sinkhole which opened up in southeast London.

The four-metre deep hole – which spans seven metres by seven metres – was spotted on Tuesday evening on Martens Avenue in Bexleyheath.

Police, who were called just before 9pm, said nobody had been injured.

Reports said a motorcyclist had fallen into the hole and images showed what appeared to be a motorbike inside the crater.

Witnesses said they had seen a motorbike rider approaching without noticing the sinkhole before falling in.

Darren, who chose not to give his last name, said the motorcyclist had a “lucky escape”. He told the PA news agency: “It happened just outside my house and no one was injured as far as I am aware, thankfully, but the individual on the bike got away with a lucky escape.

“He left the scene before the emergency services arrived.”

John Ferry, a spokesman for Bexley council, was quoted by Kent Online as saying: "We were alerted by the emergency services just after 9pm last night after a large sinkhole appeared.

"The hole is about seven metre by seven metre and four metres deep. It extends across the full width of the carriageway up to the pavements on either side.

"There appears to be no damage to nearby homes, although they are affected by loss of access and some services.

"We have fenced the area off and the road is closed to through traffic. We will continue to be involved to ensure the safety of the site and its repair.

"This is likely to take some time due to the nature of the soil, depth of the hole, and the need for specialist equipment."

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Police were called to Martens Avenue, Bexleyheath, shortly before 9pm to reports of a large sinkhole.

“Officers attended and cordons were put in place. There are no reported injuries.”

A London Fire Brigade statement said: “Firefighters were called at 9.06pm last night to a sink hole the depth of 5m in the road on Martens Avenue in Bexleyheath.

“We helped make the scene safe and the incident was over for crews by 10.28pm.”