Families are evacuated as landslide destroys 70ft-high wall

Five families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night after a landslide destroyed a 70ft-high wall, sending bricks and rubble crashing into their back gardens.

Distressed residents scrambled from their homes in Nottingham at around 1am on Wednesday, February 3 after the wall collapsed into the gardens of their terraced properties following hours of heavy rain.  

Lynn and Terry Oakley, who live opposite the affected homes, described hearing a ‘huge bang’ and feeling their house move when the landslide took place yesterday. 

Mr Oakley, who has lived on Spalding Road for 30 years, said: ‘We heard a huge bang and the house moved. We thought what was that?!  

‘Kids were out here on the street. They were scared and frightened. We took a couple of families in to help while they were evacuated.

Five families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night after a landslide destroyed a 70ft-high wall, sending bricks and rubble crashing into their back gardens. Pictured: The garden

Distressed residents scrambled from their homes in Nottingham at around 1am on Wednesday, February 3 after the wall collapsed into the gardens of their terraced properties following hours of heavy rain. Pictured: The rubble

‘The wall that fell was built 15 years ago after it was replaced. It’s the most shocking thing to have happened here.’      

Nottinghamshire police said five families from four houses had to be evacuated in the pouring rain in Sneinton.

Officers arrived at the scene to find severe damage to the homes, with bathrooms and kitchens flooded.   

Inspector Charlotte Allardice of Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘Emergency services were called from distressed residents following a report of a landslide in Spalding Road and Windmill Lane at around 1am on Wednesday.

‘They needed assistance with somewhere to stay overnight. They returned to their homes at around 6am having spent time with their neighbours.

Lynn and Terry Oakley, who live opposite the affected homes, described hearing a ‘huge bang’ and feeling their house move when the landslide took place yesterday. Pictured: Mr and Mrs Oakley

Nottinghamshire police said five families from four houses had to be evacuated in the pouring rain in Sneinton. Pictured: The scene after the wall collapsed

Officers arrived at the scene to find severe damage to the homes, with bathrooms and kitchens flooded. Pictured: The scene

Inspector Charlotte Allardice of Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘Emergency services were called from distressed residents following a report of a landslide in Spalding Road and Windmill Lane at around 1am on Wednesday’

‘Roads close to the incident had to be closed until the area was deemed to be safe.

‘The force is working closely with the local council and we are using our established contingency and emergency plans to respond to the situation.

‘There have been no reported injuries.’ 

A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said on Wednesday: ‘We are aware of this incident and are supporting the police in their efforts to help affected residents.

‘All residents in affected properties were safely evacuated nearby and we have arranged for temporary accommodation to be made available this morning for residents who need it.

‘We have arranged for structural engineers to attend to assess damage to the properties from the wall collapse.’

A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said on Wednesday: ‘We are aware of this incident and are supporting the police in their efforts to help affected residents’

Pictured: The scene in Nottingham, where a 70ft wall collapsed into the garden of four homes following heavy rain