A giant foaming 'sinkhole' spewing out "alien" foam has appeared on a rugby pitch where HS2 is being built.<br /><br />Work on the project was stopped for several hours after dog walkers found the brown foam bubbling out the ground at Ruislip RFC in west London.<br /><br />According to HS2, workers moved to seal off the area which was “most likely caused” by one of the tunnelling machines passing through a small pre-existing borehole. <br /><br />Jatin Radia, 45, chairman of Ruislip RFC, described the bubbling pool as “alien” and added: “I was watching his 14-year-old son play NFL on Saturday morning when my phone started blowing up.”<br /><br />“Members of the rugby club were sending me photos and videos asking me what was going on.<br /><br />“It looked alien and unnatural. It reminded me of a volcano spewing up lava. I couldn’t believe it was anywhere in the UK.”<br /><br />Jatin quickly got in touch with the police, the environment agency, Hillingdon Council and HS2 to find out what was happening.<br /><br />As part of the construction process for the controversial rail line, HS2 engineers are boring a tunnel under Ruislip Station which is adjacent to the rugby club.<br /><br />Jatin arrived at the ground around 1pm and was met by two HS2 investigators. <br /><br />On top of his concerns for the local community, Jatin was also worried for the rugby club, which has 600 members.<br /><br />Although the area remains cordoned off, Jatin said the foam has now dissipated. <br /><br />HS2 have also written to Jatin to let him know the pitches are perfectly safe to play on, he said.<br /><br />An HS2 spokesperson said: “Upon discovering the small pool of foam in Ruislip on Saturday, HS2’s main works’ contractor SCS (Skanska Costain STRABAG) sealed off the area to investigate.<br /><br />“The pool appears to have come out of a pre-existing borehole, causing foam to travel up and pool on the surface. <br /><br />"The area is safe, the leak has been sealed, and the foam has been cleared. There has been no impact on the programme schedule.”
