Residents fear for homes after landslide

Residents of a new-build housing estate in the West Midlands say they are worried they could lose their homes because of a landslip.

Subsidence in Haden Cross Drive, in Cradley Heath, first became evident in January last year when a tree fell in nearby woods.

Bad weather before Christmas made the problem worse, with the slippage blocking access to 12 homes, and residents said no-one was taking responsibility.

Sandwell Council said it had been in touch with the developer about rectifying the problem, confirming the land was not owned by the local authority. Dunedin Homes said work to resolve things "should recommence imminently".

Reece Aleksander, who lives on the road, said he was not sure how much closer the landslide would get to his home, adding that he did not feel safe.

"Is it going to go into my back garden? Is it then going to go into my kitchen?" he said.

"Where does it stop if it's not stopped by someone else?

"If we were to try [to] sell our house, there'd be absolutely no chance at all."

Mr Aleksander said he could not even use his drive, because it was covered in clay.

Others living on the road have to park away from their homes because the soil is blocking access, whether for cars or emergency vehicles.

The road and the land adjoining it, Mr Aleksander said, was owned by the developers, adding it was up to them "to fix this".

The estate was built about five years ago, and residents said the ground first started to shift almost a year ago.

Resident Rachael Howard said: "You could see it just trickling over the top and then as time's gone by which has been (I) believe six months to a year it's slowly come worse and worse and worse.

"We've got cars parked everywhere which is understandable, because people can't get to their houses with small children."

However, it is not the first time there have been landslides in the area.

Half a mile away, on the other side of the hill, at High Haden Crescent, residents living at the top of the bank started noticing land slipping away decades ago, but more recently started losing their gardens.

The collapse is thought to have made worse by heavy rain.

At Haden Cross Drive, Mr Aleksander has called on Sandwell Council to get involved.

"I'd like the council to take some sort of responsibility for it, because even though it's not their land, they still have a duty to the residents of the area to make things safe," he said.

"This is a health and safety issue."

Dunedin Homes said it understood "as the landowner that it is our responsibility, pending legal actions, to make safe the slope".

This work began in December, but it was suspended when tips closed for Christmas, it added.

The firm said it could only apologise to residents for disruption, "which is not of our making".

Earlier in the statement it said the problem was first reported to landowner "Dunedin Haden Cross, in March 2024".

Since then "we have been working closely" with those who completed the original design for "the slope's stability", and installed a wall to try to understand the cause of the slippage, it added.

"Dunedin Haden Cross do not accept any liability for the slope failure and in the matter of costs and liability the insurers and loss adjusters have been notified and our solicitors are closely monitoring all correspondence," it said.

Sandwell Council said it was very sorry to hear about the problems being experienced by residents.

"We completely understand their concerns," it said in a statement.

"Even though the land is not owned by the council we have, however, been in ongoing contact with the developer to check what action the management company responsible for maintenance and repair is taking to rectify the problem."

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