Worried about big cracks in my lawn

[JennyAnn84]

Help! I’ve noticed these cracks in our lawn. They radiate out from our manhole cover but also alongside our hedge. All are quite close to the house (within a metre of the house). I presume it is connected to the heatwave but we’ve had dry weather before and I’ve never noticed cracks like this. Please reassure me it isn’t a sinkhole forming? And should I be worried about our house foundations at all?

Are you on clayey soil? All looks like normal hot weather cracking to me.

Nope, it's not rained for weeks. I think that's just parched soil

My lawn looks like that in very dry weather. It's quite normal if the soil is clay.

I’m not sure what soil type it is. It gets quite boggy in winter? I guess it must be clay in that case?

It's probably just the dry heat? Give it a good soak, it should recover.

Used to have a garden just like this.
Like a swamp in winter and in summer cracks so large I could put my 10 year old arm down them.

It's just the soil type and weather.

My garden does that. Looks dramatic doesn’t it.

Did you ever have problems with subsidence or foundation issues? I can’t imagine massive cracks in the ground near the house is safe for the house! (Can you tell I am a worrier?)

Use this chance to fill them with gravel/sand. It helps the ground to be less boggy in winter. Had clay soil for years and only a soakaway has cured the bog.

@JennyAnn84
A house with deep foundations (or even suitable foundations) won’t move because of surface cracks in the garden. Subsidence is where the deeper ground shrinks around the usually inadequate foundations and the house is no longer adequately supported. This is the usual scenario with clay. You need to look for cracks in the bricks, around windows and mortar cracking. Cracks in the garden in dry weather tell you little about the foundations. Cracks in the buildings do. Just keep checking. Most houses don’t subside!

We get racks like this in the summer (clay soil) the house is absolutely fine and hasn’t moved at all. Lawn is suffering though

They're not massive cracks, they're normal for very dried out soil.

we have been draining our bathwater out into the garden (its a wonder the plants don't have bubbles) including water from showers. It really helps & its environmentally friendly. The soap/shower gel/shampoo doesn't seem to damage any of the plants. (bubble, bubble, bubble)

They aren't deep. They are normal. My last house got these every year if it was dry. No issues.
Crack in the walls of your house suddenly appearing is another matter altogether.

If it gets boggy in wet weather and like this in dry weather you have clay soil (congrats, although it is a bit like geological butter if incorporate some manure you will have roses and cabbages to die for). Am guessing if in the UK you are in the esteem side: clay is the legacy of the last ice age glaciers which all melted towards the SE. Unlikely to affect your property structurally if it is a standard structure build- ie if there are big trees nearby, within 10 feet- you might get some heave/slip if you were to remove them all overnight you might get some issues but with modern foundations and construction you should be okay. If you have probs internally like wrinkling paper on walls, all doors sticking on same side, cracks in tiles etc, might be worth a structural survey. Bon courage.

Thanks so much for all the replies and reassurance! No cracks in the house or doors sticking or anything like that. We are in the south (more central than south east) so

Probably is just normal clay soil. I’ve just never noticed the cracks before so must be worse than other years.

That makes sense. Thanks so much.