Fenland home-owners desperate to know why homes are sinking

Desperate home owners whose properties are in danger of collapse are hoping exploratory excavations will this week reveal what is causing the issue.

Cambridgeshire Highways teams were on site on Monday and again yesterday to try to discover the answer to a mystery which has been plaguing residents in West End, March, who have seen parts of their properties sink.

The excavations along part of picturesque West End outside number 89 were aimed at finally finding answers for three families whose homes are gradually subsiding and are in serious danger of collapse.

Rachel and Terry Redhead, their adjoining neighbour Bob Parker and Chris and Tessa Stone, who own the property opposite, have been battling for several years to get answers to what is happening to their homes.

They firmly believe Anglian Water is to blame because they believe there is a leaking pipe under West End, near their homes where there is now a hump, which has led to the subsidence.

It is clear the ground is moving but just why remains a mystery. Town, county and district Councillor Jan French has supported the residents' fight for answers and finally after three years, managed to persuade Cambridgeshire Highways to dig up the roadway to identify the root of the problem.

But as the digger operator and the team dug first one and then two trenches on Monday, the answer to the conundrum remained unsolved.

"It's virgin soil, and there is no water," declared one of the workmen as they excavated the site.

It was not the answer Rachel, Terry, Chris and Tessa were hoping to hear. They are desperate for answers as they battle for compensation to help put their homes right.

For Rachel and Terry it is a living nightmare their home is so badly damaged they have to avoid parts of the upstairs landing for fear if they step in the wrong spot the floor will collapse.

Their home is riddled with cracks and there is a gap inches wide under the conservatory, which has only been built a few years.

They have even paid out over £14,000 to have the outside of their home rendered to cover cracks they believed to be superficial.

Now they are told their home, which they share with their autistic 14-year-old son Zak, is so badly damaged by the subsidence that the only course of action is for it to be demolished.

But they are in limbo, they can't sell the house, they can't move out - even though they fear one day it could actually collapse - and they can't demolish and rebuild because their insurance company refuse to pay out without a definite cause of the damage.

Rachel said: "The house isn't condemned, but we have been told it needs to come down because it is unsafe. You can see how far our garden has sunk and parts of it is cracking up and collapsing. But until we can find out why, there is nothing we can do.

"Our insurance company is demanding a cause - we believe it is down to Anglian Water as there have been a number of leaks which have not been properly repaired, but they are denying all liability.

"We have been trying to get them to come out and have a look at the pipes for years, but without success. Jan has been brilliant and has got Highways to come out and do the excavation but we really need Anglian Water to have a look."

A representative from the water firm was on site on Monday for a short while, but left saying there was little he could do while the excavation was underway.

Opposite Rachel and Terry's home live Chris and Tessa. They have lived in their home since 2007 and have been battling for answers for most of the time they have been in the property.

Chris said: "Our conservatory and shed are both collapsing. Our car park has sunk at least 18 inches, so there is clearly something going on. I believe there is probably a sink hole underneath our property caused by a broken pipe leaking."

One thing is for certain is the gaping hole at the front of their property close to a pipe and looking down the gap it is clear there is not a lot of soil underneath.

Chris said: "You look in that hole and you can see there is a whole lot of soil missing. Our house is underpinned, but it is still leaning one way. The garden has sunk and where we park the car is 18 inches lower than it once was.

"I fear one day the car is just going to disappear. We really need to get to the bottom of what is going on."

He has been offered compensation by both his home insurer and Anglian Water, but he said the amount offered would barely touch the cost of the repairs needed.

Coun French, who was on site on Monday to watch Highways carry out the excavation said: "It is obvious that there is something seriously wrong. But what is causing the problem is a mystery, which is why I have been pushing to get our Highways team out to carry out these explorations."

After watching the excavations she said: "It is clear it is down to Anglian Water, we've always believed it is down to them. Now we need them to come out and dig themselves because Highways are not allowed to dig near the water pipes.

"We believe that when they replaced a sewerage pipe at Chris's house a few years ago they didn't properly cap off the old pipe because when you look there is water lying over the pipes, and there shouldn't be water there. Clearly there is a leak close to Chris's house.

"I believe Highways will be speaking to Anglian Water to get them to come out now."

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our team yesterday attended the site of West End, March where the local highways were investigating the cause of the road subsidence in the area. The investigations undertaken yesterday showed no evidence of any damage caused by any water leaks and this was confirmed by the local highways team at the site.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Our highways team attended West End in March yesterday to investigate what is causing the ground movement in the area, however they didn’t find the cause of the problem.”