Gardens at risk as no man's land plagued by landslip

More and more soil is slipping every time it rains, residents say

Local residents have claimed no-one is taking responsibility for a landslip that has left gardens and their contents hanging by little more than roots.

People said the problems, to the rear of High Haden Crescent in Cradley Heath, West Midlands, had been going on for decades but recently got worse due to heavy rain.

Soil is lose and the cliff edge is getting closer, but both the local council and a nearby business said it was nothing to do with them.

Residents, meanwhile, have been left concerned.

"The council are coming back saying nobody owns the bank," said John Hingley, whose property is perilously close to the landslip.

"That's really not an answer we're looking for because we've got the problem with slippage every time it rains."

John Hingley's property backs on to the landslip

Mr Hingley said he and his neighbours did not know what to do.

He said he was devastated by the impact and worried about his daughters playing in the garden.

"It's a very difficult the situation we're in at the moment," he added. "It's not good."

The land adjoining the properties is unregistered, the council says

Sandwell Council said the land was not in local authority ownership and unregistered according to the Land Registry.

"The council has no other way to check the current proprietor," a spokesperson said.

"As this is a private matter, any residents concerned may wish to seek independent legal advice."

The landslip has left gardens perilously close to the edge

Palmer's Timber, a merchant that has been operating in the area for more than 100 years, said it sympathised with property owners but was not responsible.

The company provided a plan which bosses said showed each property affected by the landslip was about 50 metres from its boundary.

The company's boundary, in orange, is some 50m from the properties, highlighted in yellow

"This substantial area of land in question is unregistered and unkept and any questions regarding the landslip should be forwarded to Sandwell Council," the company said.

"An official from [the council] visited Palmer Timber in December 2021 and examined the landslip and surrounding area.

"It was documented that Palmer Timber have no responsibility for this unregistered piece of property or its maintenance and our operations have not contributed to the slippage reported."