Police close the road after a huge “sinkhole” swallowed a residential street

Police were called to the scene at around 9.30pm in Bexleyheath, south east London, with dramatic images showing a crater stretching the width of the residential street

Police closed a residential street after a giant “sinkhole” swallowed part of the street.

Officers and firefighters were called to the scene at around 9.30pm in Bexleyheath, south east London.

Dramatic images show the crater spanning the width of the residential street, MyLondon reports.

Police cordon tape has been set up on the street to prevent people from falling into the pit.

It has yet to be confirmed if there were any casualties reported as a result of last night’s incident.

It comes after an ancient forest was discovered more than 600 feet underground in a sink hole in China.

The forest of trees and plants was discovered by researchers in Leye County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on May 6 and may contain as yet undiscovered species.

Three entrances have been found in the cave, which is 1,004 feet long and 492 feet wide.

A team of scientists rappeled down the sinkhole upon its discovery, where they found ancient trees 131 feet tall, stretching their branches toward the sun sinkhole Entry.

Southern China is home to karst topography, a landscape characterized by caves, sinkholes and underground rivers.

Chen Lixin, the leader of the expedition team, narrated live science : “I wouldn’t be surprised to know that there are species in these caves that have never been reported or described by science until now.”

George Veni, executive director of America’s National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), explained that China’s landscape provides access to vast sinkholes that are incredible to explore.

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He said: “Due to local differences in geology, climate and other factors, the way karst appears on the surface can vary dramatically.

“So in China you have this incredibly visually spectacular karst with huge sinkholes and huge cave entrances and so on.

“In other parts of the world you walk out onto the karst and you really don’t notice anything.

“Sinkholes can be quite subdued, only a meter or two in diameter. Cave entrances can be very small, so you have to squeeze in.”

Sinkholes and caves can be lifelong sanctuaries and contain deep reservoirs of subterranean water known as karst aquifers.

These represent the most important source of water for around 700 million people around the world.

In the US approx 40 percent Groundwater used for drinking comes from karst aquifers.

This can be problematic when the water sources become polluted by human activities.

Sinkholes form when slightly acidic rainwater begins to dissolve bedrock in a karst landscape.

As the water flows through the soil, it collects carbon dioxide, making it more acidic.

The water then flows through cracks in the bedrock, eventually carving its way into tunnels and cavities.

If the holes get big enough, the ceiling collapses and forms into a sinkhole.

The latest discovery is the 30th hole discovered in the region in China.

China also has the world’s largest sinkhole at Xiaozhai Tiankeng, which is 2,100 feet deep, 2,000 feet long and 1,760 feet wide.

Known as the Heavenly Pit, it was formed because earth was trapped in the limestone.