Kent: House falls over cliff edge after part of coastline collapses
Written by News on 02/06/2020
A house that has been teetering on the edge of a cliff has finally fallen after a section of the Kent coastline collapsed.
The property in Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey had been left partially suspended after a “significant cliff collapse” on Friday night.
But the house, which is called Cliff Hanger, has now completely fallen after another collapse happened today.
Twenty families were evacuated from their homes, with 15 people from four households unsure of when they will be able to return amid fears of a third landslide.
The Cliff Hanger house tragedy was due to the “devastating impact of coastal erosion”, Kent Fire and Rescue Service said.
Dramatic drone pictures taken after the initial collapse showed the impact of the fall, which caused a car and a garage to tumble down the cliff on Sunday.
Parish councillor Malcolm Newell, who lives in one of the properties, told the BBC he warned officials about the problem in 2015 but nothing was done, adding: “It’s not right to have people’s homes, their livelihoods, falling into the sea.”
A Swale Borough Council spokesman said: “There has been further collapse at the site this morning, and the Cliff Hanger property has now fallen.
“Neighbouring properties are currently being inspected to assess the impact of this latest fall, and we are urging people to stay away from the area in case of further collapses.”
The local authority is trying to relocate the four families affected close to their existing homes, the spokesman added.
“The coastline on the north of the Isle of Sheppey is mainly rural though includes a small number of houses and caravan parks at risk from ongoing significant erosion.
An Environment Agency spokesman told Sky News that the shoreline management plan for Eastchurch “sets out no further intervention for this area” because it is “mainly rural”.
They said it would continue to work with the council to address the “ongoing erosion risk for a small number of houses and caravan parks”.
(c) Sky News 2020: Kent: House falls over cliff edge after part of coastline collapses
