Sinkhole swallows cars on busy suburban road

A sinkhole has opened up, swallowing cars and causing major damage to a busy suburban road in Perth.

Authorities said a burst water main caused the massive sinkhole on on Kingsley Drive in Kingsley around 3am today.

Two cars were sucked into the sinkhole and the water was knee-deep in some areas.

One home was flooded and other properties suffered minor damage in the deluge of water.

Kingsley Drive resident Betty Walker, 79, said she was woken up by a council ranger just after 3am, when the water was up to her carport.

"I would have woken up to a flood if they hadn’t woken me up," she said.

"It was very scary for me, at 3.20 in the morning to have someone bang on your door.

"I said (to my son) you might have to come and get me out in a boat."

The SES and council officers spent the morning  sandbagging homes along Kingsley Avenue.

Water Corporation spokeswoman Clare Lugar said it took longer than expected to turn off the water main, and the damage caused by the broken pipe is extensive.

"At this stage until we’ve been able to excavate and have a look at the pipe we won’t know why it’s broken," she said.

"It's very difficult to determine how much water has been lost."

The Water Corporation said it would pay for any property damage that is not covered by insurance.