Heavy rain on Tuesday eroded the soil underneath the asphalt of the parking lot of the Lions Club in Oxford, N.S.

It has taken another chunk of the parking lot and the sinkhole is getting bigger.

“There's been a little more growth and some undermining, especially down by the asphalt there,” said Linda Cloney, the Town of Oxford’s public information officer. “It has increased by about 30 centimetres in overall dimensions.”

And the rain has made some other things worse.

“It's also contributed to some of the existing cracks that are close to the sinkhole getting deeper,” said Amy Tizzard, a geologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines.

Some cracks have now widened to about six centimetres wide and about a meter deep. New cracks were also discovered Wednesday in the back end of the sinkhole.

But with Tuesday’s rainfall, the cracks closest to the main road have been covered by a fresh layer of sand.

“The big question is: are there other voids in the area? And what effect would those have on the safety and stability in the overall area,” Tizzard said.

The Lions Club has been offered free excavation services as a possible solution.

“We have had people come forward and offer us assistance with respect to, if the hole stabilizes, they will assist us with filling the hole,” said Lions Club president Robert Moores.

But that sort of measure can't be taken until they have the proper equipment to analyze exactly what's under their feet.

While the Lions Club waits on the federal government for answers regarding the equipment they need and potential funding, local businesses in the area are doing what they can to help. The Circle K has donated one thousand dollars and the Tim Hortons next door is also fundraising. The Oxford Area Lions Club have created their own GoFundMe page for anyone who would like to help out.

A public information meeting is in the works for next Thursday at 7 p.m. to give the community some peace of mind, and a sense of what's growing in their backyard.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker.