Five families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night after a landslide destroyed a 70ft wall built against a higher level of houses, sending bricks and rubble crashing into their back gardens.
Distressed residents scrambled from their homes in the Sneinton area of Nottingham at about 1am yesterday morning after tonnes of rubble came tumbling down onto the terraced properties in the pouring rain.
Emergency services rescued the families from four separate properties as their bathrooms and kitchens flooded during a torrential downpour, which is believed to have contributed to the landslide.
The fallen wall separates two rows of terrace houses built on different levels of a hillside estate, with the brickwork built from the bottom of the garden of the lower homes to the front of those above.
Structural engineers were today examining possible causes of the collapse – which could include the heavy rain in recent weeks, errors in the construction of the wall or shifting foundations – after photographs showed the crumbled wall lying inches from the homes, with piles of rubble blocking a stairway between the two roads.
Five families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night after a landslide destroyed a wall in Nottingham
Distressed residents scrambled from their homes in Nottingham at around 1am yesterday after the 70ft high wall collapsed
The fallen wall separates two rows of terrace houses built on different levels of a hillside estate in Nottingham
The brickwork of the 70ft wall was built from the bottom of the garden of the lower homes to the front of those above
Nottinghamshire Police said no one was injured and evacuees returned to their homes at 6am the same day. Lynn and Terry Oakley, who live opposite the affected homes, described a ‘huge bang’ and feeling their house move.
Mr Oakley, who has lived on Spalding Road for 30 years, said: ‘We heard a huge bang and the house moved. We thought what was that?! Kids were out here on the street. They were scared and frightened.
‘We took a couple of families in to help while they were evacuated. The wall that fell was built 15 years ago after it was replaced. It’s the most shocking thing to have happened here.’
Norman Wheatley, who has lived on Spalding Road for 52 years, described the moment huge pieces of brick fell into his garden and hit his conservatory.
The 57-year-old told Nottinghamshire Live: ‘I was asleep and my daughter ran into my room to wake me up. The whole middle section of the wall had fallen away and the two sides folded in.
‘The people above us (on Windmill Lane) informed the council who have been out to assess it. It’s damaged the walls of the conservatory a bit but not the actual house. It’s completely smashed the garden.
An aerial Google street view of the properties on Spalding Road in Nottingham, showing the wall (in red) prior to its collapse
Lynn and Terry Oakley, who live opposite the affected homes, described hearing a ‘huge bang’ and feeling their house move
Police said five families from four houses had to be evacuated in the pouring rain in the Sneinton area of the city
Officers arrived at the scene in Nottingham to find severe damage to the homes, with bathrooms and kitchens flooded
‘We’re really lucky it did not happen during the middle of the day. Sometimes children play out in the gardens. It could have been even more serious and I’m just glad no one was hurt.’
Mr Wheatley said the council had contacted him and said assessors would now be surveying the damage.
Clifford and Sandra Lowe, 74 and 76, fear their home could be next to be hit as they live below a part of the wall which did not fall away.
The couple, who have been together for 33 years, were woken during the middle of the night but their home was not evacuated. They told Nottinghamshire Live: ‘It is so shocking.
‘It made such a loud noise and we felt the ground move. The whole wall has completely come away. There’s so much damage. We are worried the bit of wall above us could be next.
‘We have been told to not go outside into the garden. We were asked to evacuate but we said no. We have had nothing but bad luck.’
Nottinghamshire Police Inspector Charlotte Allardice said: ‘Emergency services were called from distressed residents following a report of a landslide in Spalding Road and Windmill Lane at around 1am on Wednesday.
Police said emergency services were called by ‘distressed residents’ following the report of a landslide at 1am yesterday
Nottingham City Council said it is aware of this incident and is supporting the police in their efforts to help affected residents
An aerial view of the scene in Nottingham, where a 70ft wall collapsed into the garden of four homes following heavy rain
‘They needed assistance with somewhere to stay overnight. They returned to their homes at around 6am having spent time with their neighbours. Roads close to the incident had to be closed until the area was deemed to be safe.
‘The force is working closely with the local council and we are using our established contingency and emergency plans to respond to the situation. There have been no reported injuries.’
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of this incident and are supporting the police in their efforts to help affected residents.
‘All residents in affected properties were safely evacuated nearby and we have arranged for temporary accommodation to be made available this morning for residents who need it.
‘We have arranged for structural engineers to attend to assess damage to the properties from the wall collapse.’
In June 2010, a landslide nearby resulted in a wall subsiding between two rows of houses on Loughborough Avenue and Finsbury Avenue. Gardens and the backs of eight houses were damaged but no one was injured.