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Live Reporting

Andrew Barton

All times stated are UK

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  1. Our live coverage across the day

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    That's all we've got time for today - thanks for spending the last few hours in our company. 

    We're back again with our Local Live service from 07:00 on Friday.    

    In the meantime here's a summary of the main story we've been following today: the overnight appearance of a huge sinkhole, estimated to be about 50ft by 30ft wide, on Ripon's Magdalen's Road.

    Sink hole

    Fire crews evacuated seven homes on the road at about 22:30, leaving one resident, Ben Bramley, concerned about the future.

    "We're being told the house is likely to be structurally unsafe for some time. We might even be officially homeless," he says.

    Meanwhile, another resident, Frances O'Neil has talked about the moment she discovered the back garden of her Ripon home has completely disappeared.

    Video content

    Video caption: Frances O'Neil talks about discovering a sink hole in the rear garden of her Ripon home.

    Investigations continue into the sinkhole and the safety of the homes it's affected.

    We'll bring you up-to-date tomorrow, meanwhile go here for any further developments today.

  2. Time for bed: York researchers need sleeping children

    Jonathan Cowap

    Presenter, BBC Radio York

    Here's an interesting turn on getting the kids to sleep.

    Researchers at the University of York are looking for volunteers aged between 8 and 12 years of age to go to sleep.

    It's for a project called SleepSmart which is aimed at understanding the role of sleep in memory.

    Intrigued? Victoria Knowland, from the university, has been telling me more:

    Video content

    Video caption: The art getting a good night's sleep
  3. Yorkshire Museum raises £44,000 to buy Roman coin hoard

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    The Yorkshire Museum in York is to buy the largest Roman coin hoard of its type ever discovered in the north of England.

    hoard

    More than 1,800 Roman coins were discovered near Scarborough by a metal detector enthusiast. 

    The museum has raised £44,000, which ensures the find can stay on display there.

    Andrew Woods, from the Yorkshire Museum, says he's "thrilled" by the response to the appeal.

    "We would like to thank every single person who gave to this appeal and has helped make sure this wonderful collection of coins will stay in Yorkshire and in public collections," he says.

  4. Watch: Ripon sinkhole - 'The ground was moving, my steps had vanished'

    Phil Bodmer

    Journalist, BBC Look North

    I'm at the scene of the huge sinkhole which appeared overnight in Ripon.

    Frances O'Neil is one of the residents who's been forced to leave their homes due to the hole.

    She's been telling me more about the moment she discovered the back garden of her Ripon home has disappeared.

    Video content

    Video caption: Frances O'Neil talks about discovering a sink hole in the rear garden of her Ripon home.
  5. North Yorkshire's weather: Showers and sunshine this afternoon

    Paul Hudson

    Weather presenter, BBC Look North

    This afternoon will see sunny spells and scattered showers.

    The top temperature will be about 7C (45F) with a moderate westerly wind.

    Weather graphic
  6. Ripon sinkhole: No quick return home for affected residents

    Engineers are now on site as investigations continue into the appearance of a large sinkhole in Ripon.

    Engineers at Ripon sinkhole

    Meanwhile, fire and rescue teams have returned to the scene with experts to assess what the likely outcome of the sinkhole might be.

    Station Manager Ben Cairns says at the moment there are no plans to evacuate any more properties in the area.

    However, he's told BBC Radio York's Joanita Musisi that for the time being residents of four of the homes affected will not be able to return to their homes any time soon. 

    This is what he's had to say:

    Video content

    Video caption: Fire Services assessment
  7. Your headlines this lunchtime

    BBC Radio York

    The headlines from our York newsroom this lunchtime include:

  8. Ripon sinkhole: Another view of the scene

    Phil Bodmer

    Journalist, BBC Look North

    Here's the latest picture of the scene on Magdalen's Road in Ripon where a large sinkhole opened up at about 22:30 last night.

    This picture really gives you an idea of the scale of the gaping hole which led to the evacuation of seven properties:

    Sinkhole
  9. Search launched for missing sex offender

    A sex offender has gone missing after failing to appear in court on Wednesday to be sentenced for a number of sexual offences.

    Andrew Robinson

    Andrew Robinson, 65, failed to appear at Newcastle Crown Court and was last seen in York yesterday morning.

    He's now believed to be in the Ravenscar or Whitby area and is believed to be carrying a large green rucksack.

    Officers from North Yorkshire Police are assisting West Yorkshire Police in the search, and anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to get in touch as soon as possible.

  10. Your headlines this morning

    The headlines from our York newsroom so far this morning include:

  11. Listen: Ripon sinkhole - 'The landscape's changing, it's not as flat'

    BBC Radio York

    I've been speaking to one of the landlords of the Magdalens Pub in Ripon, on the corner of Magdalen's Road where a large sinkhole appeared last night.

    Eamon Parkin says people who'd been evacuated from seven homes affected by the sinkhole took shelter there and drank tea and coffee until the very early hours.

    Mr Parkin says he's "very concerned by the opening of another huge sinkhole" and wonders where the next one will appear.

    An earlier sinkhole appeared just down the road in February 2014, leading to the demolition of a house which was too severely damaged to be saved.

    Mr Parkin told me he's noticed a visible change to the landscape in the Magdalen's Road area in recent years:

    Video content

    Video caption: Pub landlord says the landscape is slowly changing
  12. Going underground: The lowdown on sinkholes

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    We've been looking at what causes sinkholes this morning, after one measuring approximately 50ft by 30ft wide appeared overnight in the gardens of houses on Magdalen's Road in Ripon.

    Florida, it seems, is particularly prone to such holes as the entire state has limestone underneath it.

    The one pictured below opened up behind the home of Jeffrey Bush whose house had to be demolished as a result:

    Sinkhole in Florida

    Typically, rainfall seeps through the soil, absorbing carbon dioxide and reacting with decaying vegetation. As a result, the water that reaches the soluble rock is acidic.

    The acidic water causes the erosion of the soluble rock layers beneath the surface - eventually creating cavernous spaces.

    There are warning signs in urban areas. These include doors and windows failing to close properly, or cracks appearing in the foundations of houses. In some cases ground movement can even be detected.

  13. Watch: Latest pictures form Ripon's newest sinkhole

    Joanita Musisi

    Reporter, BBC Radio York

    I'm in Ripon this morning where a 50ft sinkhole has appeared overnight on Magdalen's Road, leading to the evacuation of seven houses.  

    The hole's spread across two gardens, is currently of an unknown depth, and is quite a sight to see.

    Ben Bramley, one of the residents who's been forced to leave their homes due to the hole, has let me get really close to have a look and he describes the scene:

    Video content

    Video caption: Seven properties are evacuated in Ripon as a huge sinkhole appears.
  14. Ripon sinkhole: What we know now

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    Seven homes were evacuated in Ripon last night after a large sinkhole appeared in their back gardens.

    Sinkhole

    Emergency crews were called to Magdalen's Road at about 22:30 after the hole, estimated to be about 50ft by 30ft wide and of an "unknown" depth, appeared.

    Ben Bramley, one of the residents who had to leave their homes, says he heard what sounded like a landslip.

    "It was a real mess out there. It's a huge hole that runs from our back door to the garage and it's about 20ft deep," he says.

    Sinkhole

    Mr Bramley says everyone's shocked by the appearance of the hole and he's concerned he may be left homeless as the affected houses have been deemed structurally unsafe.

    In February 2014, another sinkhole appeared just round the corner at Magdalen's Close which led to the demolition of one property.

    According to the British Geological Society, Ripon is a well-known hotspot for sinkholes because of several underground deposits of gypsum, a highly soluble rock, which are slowly dissolving.

    Fire crews and council experts are due back at the scene this morning to assess the situation.

  15. Ripon sinkhole: More pictures from Magdalen's Road

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    We've been following developments in Ripon this morning, where a huge sinkhole has appeared very close to houses on Magdalen's Road.

    The hole's believed to be 50ft by 30ft and has led to the evacuation of seven properties as it's spread across two gardens and is an "unknown" depth, according to the fire service.

    Here are some more incredible pictures from the scene:

    Sinkhole 1
    Sinkhole
    Hole
  16. How are sinkholes formed?

    Andrew Barton

    BBC Local Live, York

    A large sinkhole has appeared overnight in Ripon, but what usually causes them to appear?

    This latest hole, which is reported to be about 50ft by 30ft across, appeared last night in gardens on Magdalen's Road.

    That's just round the corner from a previous sinkhole which appeared in 2014 which caused severe damage to one house.

    Sinkholes, or dolines, often take thousands of years to form and vary hugely in size.

    Hole

    The deepest is China's Xiaozhai Tienkeng (pictured above) at 2,172ft, while the Qattara Depression in Egypt is roughly 50 miles by 75 miles in surface size.  

    But often sinkholes can be only a few metres in diameter.

    They are usually the result of what are known as Karst processes. They happen when a layer of rock underneath the ground is dissolved by acidic water.

  17. Ripon sinkhole: 'We might be homeless'

    Joanita Musisi

    Reporter, BBC Radio York

    I'm in Ripon this morning where a 50ft sinkhole has appeared overnight on Magdalen's Road, leading to the evacuation of seven houses.

    I've just spoken to Ben Bramley who owns the house most affected by the hole. He tells me his whole garden has disappeared. 

    He says: "Last night we heard what sounded like a landslip. I went out and my neighbour was out there in her dressing gown and it was a real mess." 

    Magdalen's road

    "It's a huge hole that runs from our back door to the garage and it's about 20ft deep," adds Ben.

    At the moment Ben says he's shocked by what's happened and is very concerned about the future.

    "We're being told the house is likely to be structurally unsafe for some time. We might even be officially homeless," he says.

  18. North Yorkshire's weather: A cold start, brighter later

    BBC Weather

    Moving away from this morning's big story for a moment, the big sinkhole which has appeared in Ripon, here's a look at today's weather:

    We're seeing a cold start with showers and risk of some icy patches, but it'll become brighter with sunny spells.

    There is still the chance of occasional heavy, perhaps thundery, showers - particularly near the coast. 

    Weather graphic