Homeowners 'living on edge of cliff' as landslip destroys gardens

Homeowners fear their properties could be destroyed after a giant landslide began the process of slowly eating into their gardens.

The landslip in Cradley Heath in the West Midlands gets bigger each time it rains and has destroyed multiple trees and two sheds in the last year.

Locals in High Haden Crescent said they felt like they were living by the coast after their gardens began to slip away. Recent bad weather has seen even more land crumble leaving homeowners worried for the safety of their families.

John Hingley, 42, has seen the expanding landslip get worse year-by-year since since moving into his home a decade ago.

He said: "I've seen trees disappear looking out my bedroom window, and I've seen two sheds disappear too. And it keeps getting worse, two days ago it got even bigger and even closer to my land. When it rains the land turns into clay and chunks just fall down the slope."

Residents are still trying to find out who is responsible for the land and the local council is aware of the situation. Yahoo News has contacted Sandwell Council for comment.

'My grandkids don't play in the garden'

Residents claim the land started collapsing after a factory was built over 30 years ago, but Hingley said he was unaware of this when he bought his house.

He said: "I didn't know anything about it until a neighbour knocked my door after we moved in and told us about the problem. I've got workmen in and they all say the job is just too big for them or their company to deal with.

"A lot of my neighbours are elderly so can't do anything for themselves which makes it all the more difficult for me to try and fight it off on my own.

"We have contacted councillors, the MP, you name it but never seem to find out whose fault it is and who is liable."

Another homeowner, Henry Robinson, 55, said: "It feels like you're living by the coast and one of those people worried about their house falling into the sea. There you sort of know what you're getting into but we couldn't be further away from the sea in the West Midlands, so it's been a real shock and a concern.

"I don't let my grandkids play out near the bottom of the garden, it's just too dangerous. I'm worried it will reach our homes or at least destroy our entire gardens and something needs to be done about it."

Cradley Heath and Old Hill councillor Vicki Smith added: "I can understand why residents are worried because it keeps getting bigger. It looks like they are living on the edge of a cliff the hole is so deep. We are trying to find out what can be done for them. As it is behind gardens and not openly viewable people do not understand just how big the problem is."

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Heavy rainfall caused by 'climate change'

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced its plan to prioritise nature-based solutions, such as rain gardens and natural shading for outdoor spaces, by 2025 to tackle the impact of climate change.

It comes after the UK has experienced extreme heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 40C for the first time in 2022 amid drought conditions and fires, and been hit by flooding caused by very heavy rainfall linked to global warming.

The government has invested £5.2bn to develop a “resilience framework”, and the Health Security Agency has formulated an "adverse weather and health plan" to address the impact of global warming.

However, the Climate Change Committee has emphasised the need for adaptation to climate change impacts, from flooding to drought, in every decision and given priority in government, and receive more public funding.

The world experienced the hottest February on record last month, and the UK recorded its fourth wettest, as the globe breached the 1.5C threshold beyond which the worst impacts of climate change are expected.

Read more

• Efforts to adapt to climate risks 'falling far short', government warned (PA)

• Why is Britain so prone to flooding and is climate change to blame? (Yahoo News)