Newcastle sinkhole sucks up man's car

A sinkhole has swallowed up a Newcastle man’s car parked outside his home.

The chasm was caused by a burst water main and led to the car sinking into the road in Wickham at 6am this morning.

The owner of the car, Simon West, told the Newcastle Herald he saw emergency lights flashing outside his house at 5am.

Going outside to investigate he saw the road bubbling around his car.

"The main was turned off and about an hour later we heard a crunch and [the car] had fallen in," he said.

Mr West said he was met with scepticism when he called in to work to say he could not come in.

"They didn't believe me at work when I told them. I sent them in a photo," he said.

Mr West’s seven-year-old son, who was given an unexpected day off school, told the Herald it was “the best day of my life so far”.

Hunter Water tweeted a video of the repair works already underway and said it expected to have the job completed by midday.