Terrified residents near two large sinkholes fear the voids are expanding and the section of road will entirely collapse.

Concerns are mounting over how long St Peter's Footpath near Church Street in Margate will remain closed after stretches of concrete opened up.

The first deep pit formed after a water main burst on Friday evening, which Southern Water says is temporarily fixed.

A second sinkhole opened in the middle of the road soon after.

Meanwhile, it is understood those living in a home nearest the first void have been evacuated.

Resident Patricia Pay’s house is set back from the chaos, but she worries about neighbours living closer.

The 78-year-old told KentOnline the situation has become “frightening” since the hole first appeared, creating a steep drop, which attracted a strong emergency service presence.

“I’m worried about it being hollow underneath, as I was told there are chalk tunnels under these houses,” she says.

“The road could fall away in front of those homes.

“It’s a concern because if it can happen there it can happen in front of my house.”

Mrs Pay says she heard the emergency services descend on the scene when the alarm was first raised.

“When it first happened there were police and everything here.

“After hearing what had happened, my grandson walked down there and he said ‘There's a big hole in the road’.”

The crater opened St Peter’s Footpath, near Church Street in Margate on Friday.

It started as a small hole on the pavement, then opened up into the road, before a second void appeared in the middle of the highway.

Both cavities have been “growing” rapidly ever since.

Mrs Pay believes another smaller ‘sinkhole’ opened up in the same street 20 years ago, which was filled in with concrete.

The pit was caused by a burst water main on Friday evening which has since been temporarily fixed by Southern Water.

In the hole, bits of tarmac which have fallen away can be seen, as well as layers of chalk and soil.

Huge mounds of rubble have been stacked next to the craters, and two layers of metal hoardings have been erected around the site.

Southern Water’s signs on the cordon reads: “Thanks for your patience. We won’t be here long.”

But when asked, neither Kent County Council (KCC) nor Southern could confirm how long the work will take.

Couple Laura Rogers and Nicky Cousins live several doors away from the aftermath.

Mr Cousins explained: “We were out at the time and our neighbour rang us to say the police had shut down the road but he didn’t know why.

“When we came home we spoke to the police officer and he described it as a pothole at first.

“An hour later I went to the shop and asked if there had been any development.

“That’s when he told me it was a sinkhole - and it was growing.”

The 24-year-old voiced concerns over the length of time the street will remain shut, adding: “Because we're uphill of it, the water's not going to travel up to cause any more problems if it was a water leak that caused the issue.

“It'll only be further down from us that would be affected. So I'm not worried about it impacting our house.”

Ward Councillor Rob Yates said: “My thoughts are with the residents affected by the situation.

“I've been in touch with the local KCC councillor to ensure the appropriate steps are being followed.

“If residents do have concerns as this progresses please get in contact."

Southern Water says it is investigating the “root cause” of the incident.

Amy Hutchings, operational manager for water at the company stated: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused to customers and drivers.

“We temporarily repaired a burst on our three-inch water main in that area which burst on Friday night.

“Some customers are still being supplied by an overland pipe while we prepare a long-term repair.

“The root cause of the sinkhole however remains under investigation and a geotechnical engineer will be attending to assess this.”

A KCC spokesman added: “An emergency road closure has been put in place to protect the public after a void in the road was discovered in Church Street, Margate.

“We are working with Southern Water to resolve the issue.”