Major incident declared as 50-metre-long breach opens up and discharges water on to surrounding land
Ten people have been helped to safety after a sinkhole opened up in a Shropshire canal, pulling in boats and discharging large volumes of water on to surrounding land.
Emergency services declared a major incident after the 50-metre-long sinkhole breached the canal in the West Midlands, leaving boats teetering on the edge of a steep drop or stuck at the bottom of the cavity.
Local people thought they were caught up in an earthquake when the collapse began in the early hours of Monday morning, and there were fears that water would flood into the nearby town of Whitchurch.
There are no reported casualties and people were being assisted by the fire service, according to West Mercia police.
