STREET'S SHAME
We HATE our neighbour’s eyesore ‘wonky’ house – we want it gone now
A 'WONKY' home has been blasted by fuming neighbours who want the eyesore property gone for good.
The three-bedroom house in Broadstairs, Kent, was condemned after a swirling sinkhole opened up outside the gaff in 2009 - and was reportedly never filled.
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The surface collapse was triggered by a burst water pipe - swallowing the ground around the homes of terrified residents.
History repeated itself in 2014 when another sinkhole caved in six metres below ground.
Emerging cracks, a wonky front door and a sloping front garden have seen the property plummet to a guide price of £90,000 when it goes under the hammer again.
Similar homes in the area set back buyers more than three times that asking price.
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Residents say the property is routinely snapped up by eager home seekers before swiftly going back on the market - arousing suspicion that many only view the sinking property online before putting in an offer.
Street resident Karen Rumsey says her patience is running thin.
“I want the council to do something so it can't be sold again", .
“Every time it goes to auction we think ‘oh, here we go again’.
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“It went to auction in February, sold, and within a month it went back to auction, sold again, and now it’s back on the market.
“How are they getting away with that?
“They advertise it as needing modernisation, but it doesn't - it has no services running to it!”
Hand-wringing homeowners fear it's only a matter of time before the "ticking time-bomb" detonates again.
“We have cracks in the front of the house and in the bedroom and they are getting bigger,” resident Jill pointed out.
“Really, it’s a ticking time-bomb.
“The water board said given the same set of circumstances that happened in 2009 it would happen again because there are no foundations.
"It's hollow underneath.”
A spokesperson for Thanet District Council confirmed the authority issued dangerous structure notices for the homes in Victoria Road impacted by “sudden ground subsidence” in 2009.
They added: “All the properties were subsequently repaired, with the exception of 58 Victoria Road.
"This property remains empty and still subject to a dangerous structure notice.”
The spokesperson highlighted that the details are registered on the authority’s website.
In a statement, a Kent County Council spokesperson said: "As the highway authority, Kent County Council is responsible for ensuring public roads are safe to use.
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“In 2009, we repaired damage to the road in Victoria Road, Broadstairs, while individual householders’ insurance companies dealt with damage caused to properties off the public highway.
“KCC has received no reports of concerns or enquiries relating to the condition of the road surface at this location so far this year."
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