Isle of Wight: Ground movement and cracks monitored after landslip
Homes were left close to a cliff edge near Ventnor after a major collapse
Last updated 25th Apr 2024
Equipment has been installed to monitor cracks and ground movement at the site of a major landslip on the Isle of Wight.
Some homes in Leeson Road near Ventnor were left close to a cliff edge when large chunks of land collapsed in December.
The upper section of Leeson Road has remained closed since the landslip when 16 hectares of land fell away.
Sensors will measure and record changes to the ground and satellite technology will monitor vertical and horizontal land movement.
Residents in around 20 properties were forced to leave their homes after the landslip and some have still not been able to return.
Aerial images captured by Island Echo revealed houses were left perilously close to the cliff edge.
Isle of Wight Council said the data gathered from the sensors would help it make a decision about the future of Leeson Road.
Natasha Dix, service director for waste, environment and planning at the council, said: "All the advice from our consultants is that more information is needed before we can properly asses the risks around re-opening the road.
"It is also important to remember that the risk of further collapse is down to the wider geological movement in the area, not necessarily the weight of any traffic using it.
"Visually, the road surface may look perfectly fine but what we don't currently know is what's happening deeper underground.
"This highly-sophisticated equipment will help us to peal back the layers to see the geological conditions underneath the road and whether there is voiding or further ground movement that could lead to a further catastrophic collapse."