Bradford homeowners fear houses could collapse

Beechwood Avenue in Wibsey's at the top of a steep slope that's giving way

Cracks in the road at Beechwood Avenue in Wibsey
Author: Richard MuriePublished 5th Mar 2022

People living on a Bradford street fear their homes could collapse - if a steep slope behind them gives way.

Residents of Beechwood Avenue in Wibsey have become even more concerned after hearing about houses in Keighley which have had to be evacuated due to a landslip caused by the recents storms.

They fear that they could be next.

The street's at the top of a steep banking, overlooking Co-op Grange Academy, and Billy Welch who lives on the street says there's signs that it's starting to deteriorate.

"You can actually see a line running diagnoally across our property and out on onto the dirt track. "Six or seven inch cracks and the hedge is falling backwards to go down the slope. "It's also visible on the slope itself where the land has slipped away."

The collapsing hillside behind Beechwood Avenue

He says they've had a structural engineer do a basic check, but can't afford to pay for a full survey to be carried out - let alone remediation works to protect their properties.

Wibey councillor David Green (Lab) has been supportive according to Mr Welch: "Cllr Green is trying to organise through the council collecting all our insurance details to see if they can work together to come up with some solutions.

"He's also trying to raise some funding to carry out some investigative work."

Mr Welch and other residents of Beechwood Avenue are hoping that Bradford Council will step-in and provide more assistance before the situation gets any worse, or the homes completely collapse.

Cracks in the road at Beechwood Avenue

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