THE first of two mansions condemned by a train track landslip has been razed to the ground – as terrified neighbours fear their homes could be next.
The properties – worth £1.4 million – are being demolished after a mudslide in February caused the railway embankment beneath their gardens to fall down onto the line below.
Glen MinikinDebris from the house demolition on the Woodlands Estate in Baildon, West Yorkshire, has fallen down the landslide[/caption]
Glen MinikinThe Victorian railway embankment collapsed causing a landslide – with debris on the tracks[/caption]
Glen MinikinThe extent of the landslide, with one home already now completely knocked down[/caption]
Glen MinikinThe homeowners are in hotels as workers complete the demolition[/caption]
The landslip has left the elderly owners of the prestigious homes, in Baildon, West Yorks, homeless.
They’ve been placed in hotels with their homes bought by Network Rail for urgent demolition.
Stephen and Lynne Coverdale have lived in their property on the exclusive Woodlands Estate since it was built in 1986, while David and Fiona Lerner moved in next door in 2009.
Our pictures show there is now nothing left of the Coverdale’s house – two days after bulldozers and plant machinery began tearing down the structure.
Snaps also show the devastating impact of the landslide, with piles of debris from the demolition having fallen down the sheer drop.
The Victorian railway line underneath is now covered with the remnants of the four-bed house and masses of soil.
Access to the private estate is now restricted but neighbours are said to be terrified that the landslip could have affected their properties perched above.
The four pensioners, aged in their 60s and 70s, were said to be too distraught to talk about the “heart-wrenching” loss of their homes.
Neighbours said there had been no previous land slips or warning signs until torrential downpours saw cracks appear in the embankment on February 5.
“It is worse than people forced to move for HS2. At least they were compensated for leaving their homes.”
Margaret Dugdale
Engineers had been working to remove more than 2,500 tonnes of soil at the site to stabilise the land but surveys revealed the structural risks were worse than first thought.
The railway line is not expected to open until the middle of June, according to letters sent to locals by Network Rail.
Margaret Dugdale, 68, a retired NHS clinical scientist who lives next to the two condemned houses, hopes her home will be spared.
She told MailOnline: “If I have to move out, I have to move out. I have no idea where I stand with the insurance.”
She went on to say she first knew something was wrong when “cracks were spotted” in one of the gardens and then they “went”.
Margaret has no idea what her house – previously valued at £700,000 – is worth now.
She doesn’t blame Network Rail but has no idea who is responsible for paying for all the damage.
Margaret added: “We have all lived here a long time and all know each other which makes it worse when something like this happens.
“It is worse than people forced to move for HS2. At least they were compensated for leaving their homes.”
Mick Spencer, who lives on the other side of the condemned houses, said temporary plastic pipes have been laid through his garden to carry sewage away, with a machine noisily clattering to maintain the flew.
He said while his home is not directly affected, his wife Karen said it is a “constant worry” for the couple.
One neighbour, whose home overlooks the train line linking Bradford and Ilkley, told The Sun: “They are probably trembling in their shoes and their kitchens. I would be. If they try to sell them – there’s a big question mark. Who would want to buy them?
“The people who lived there had been there for 38 years and they’re absolutely devastated.
“It was built far too close to the edge of the railway in the first place, in my mind.
“The big one [the Lerners’] should have been safe but apparently this weak spot is worse than they thought.
“I believe Network Rail has bought the houses but whether they’ve got market value, I don’t know.”
Get in touch
Have you been impacted by this issue or something similar?
Contact [email protected]
Another man, whose son owns a house on the opposite side of the track, said: “You just feel so sorry for the people in the houses. They’ve been there a long time.
“It’s a little estate but it’s very prestigious. There are very big houses up there.
“They started knocking down the first house on Sunday and by the end of Monday it had all but gone.
‘You’d never know there was a house there now. It would have fallen over because it was right on the precipice.”
Jason Hamilton, the organisation’s route director, said “every effort” had been made to save the homes, but all alternative solutions had now been ruled out.
Speaking to the BBC, he added: “Regrettably, after a number of weeks of looking at an extensive number of options, due to the complex nature of the site and the critical need to reopen the railway line, we need to use our statutory powers to allow us to safely resume repairs to this site.
“That will mean safely removing the properties”, he continued adding, it was “a very unusual situation and a sensitive situation”.
“We’ve taken full consideration of that as we’ve worked through a wide range of options, which we’ve now unfortunately exhausted,” he added.
Network Rail “deeply sympathised” with the homeowners affected and it would continue to make “every effort to look after their interests”, he said.
Network Rail did not wish to comment further when approached by The Sun.
GoogleA Google Earth image shows the two homes prior to the natural disaster[/caption]
Glen MinikinThis bird’s eye view shot in comparison shows one house now completely gone[/caption]
Glen MinikinNeighbours in surrounding properties fear they are next[/caption]
Glen MinikinTwo elderly couples are now homeless after their properties were condemned[/caption]“}]]