Sinkhole swallows parked car in Newcastle, Australia

An Australian motorist has watched his car disappear into the ground after a sinkhole opened up on a suburban road.

The hole was caused by a burst water main and damaged three cars in Newcastle, north of Sydney, on Thursday.

Newcastle resident Simon West was woken by a loud "crunch" as the road gave way just before dawn.

"The front end of the car broke through the hard surface of the road," he told the BBC.

He



said he was left to rue his bad luck after recently cancelling his car insurance to pay for other bills.

Around 40 properties in the street were without water for several hours while authorities began repairs.

A gigantic sinkhole swallowed a five-lane street in one of Japan's biggest cities earlier this month, creating headlines around the world.

Construction workers managed to repair the damage and reopen the road a week later.