adminnearly fell down the black hole into a mystery stream running underneath her house.
The tunnel carrying the stream has gradually collapsed and the hole above has expanded to several metres wide.
Mrs Winton, from Perthshire, Scotland, fears the gaping chasm could soon engulf her entire front porch.
She said: “It was extremely frightening.
“It happened on the Friday before Christmas and I was just going out to the shops when the path outside the front door suddenly gave way.
“I managed to stop myself falling and I was very fortunate not to have hurt myself.
“My husband went out and put a brush down the hole and couldn’t believe how deep it was.
“If it had been the postman or one of us coming home in the dark it could have been a very, very serious accident.
“We’ve just got to hope the porch doesn’t collapse next.”
Mrs Winton, a home care officer at Perth and Kinross Council, who lives with husband Graham, 51, admitted she had no idea there was a burn running underneath their home of 11 years.
The couple have been told the tunnel carrying the water has burst underneath the property, which stripped away the soil above and subsequently brought down the pathway.
It is thought it happened due to the heavy rainfall that was experienced around the country in December.
Mr Winton said: “The path is gone and the concrete pad the porch is on is floating on nothing so we’re unable to use the front of the house.
“We had no idea there was a burn there and I’ve phoned the solicitor to check and there is nothing in the deeds about it.
“We’ve put sandbags down to keep the culvert open and we just have to hope for the best with the weather until it’s sorted.
“I never thought something like this could happen.”
The insurance company is set to assess the damage before the weekend and Mr and Mrs Winton face an anxious wait to find out if they will be able to claim for the damage. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter