Watchet cliff fall leaves caravan owners homeless

Jackie Dickenson and Len Jones bought their homes last year

A cliff fall at a coastal caravan park has left two homes in danger of falling on to the beach below.

The park home owners at West Bay Residential Caravan Park in Watchet, Somerset, say they have lost their life savings and have been left homeless.

Jackie Dickenson said: "This was our absolute dream home and now it's all gone."

Somerset West and Taunton Council has condemned the homes as unsafe and has given the residents temporary housing.

The council has condemned both homes

Ms Dickenson said: "When we moved here every morning we used to wake up, pinch ourselves and think we had died and gone to heaven.

"All of our life savings have gone, everything has gone."

The owner of the other condemned home, Len Jones, said: "We've been told by the owners of the site we are responsible to move it.

"I can't afford to pay to move this so what happens about that then?

"All our savings, and we had to borrow some, have gone into our forever home."

There are 16 homes on the site and both the affected owners bought their properties last year. Neither are covered by insurance.

Under the terms of the park's licence, its boundary must be at least three metres (approx 10 ft) from the cliff edge at all times, to avoid putting residents and their property in peril.

The landslide has meant this licence has been breached.

The local authority has also said any stabilisation works would only be temporary and the homes would need to be moved, but there is no space left on the site.

The owner of the site, RS Hill and Sons Ltd, based in Fareham, Hampshire, which only recently bought the land, has said the matter is in the hands of its solicitors.

The park home owners say the matter is with their solicitors