Isle of Wight landslip hit Ventnor residents blame Southern Water

They believe a burst pipe is the cause of the collapse and say they are becoming 'increasingly frustrated' by a lack of action and compensation.

Although it admits there was a water leak in the area, the utility firm said its impact 'cannot be determined' and the situation is 'complex'.

In December 2023, gardens collapsed in five properties in Ocean View Road.

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In some cases, gardens dropped between five and six feet, leaving homeowners unable to use them.

Their gardens are not insured under their buildings policies but residents say Southern Water should admit guilt and step in to rectify the damage.

One homeowner, Peter Westmore, said: “The bottom of my rear garden is now unusable.

“My shed is unsafe and my neighbour’s garden is down the hill.”

Drone shot of the area showing the homes affected by the water leak damage with Tower House in Zig Zag Road at the bottom of the picture (centre). (Image: Contributed) One of the collapsed gardens (Image: Contributed)

Mark Egan, who owns two of the five properties, one of them a holiday let, said: “I have had to cancel 30 to 40 holiday let bookings during 2024 and I can’t take any for 2025 as we just don’t know when this will be sorted."

Down the hill at Zig Zag Road, a retaining wall collapsed on the boundary of Tower House, a property belonging to David and Rachel Higgs.

They say the wall, which faces part of the natural cliff, was in good repair and there was no reason for it to collapse.

In February, David and Rachel said they instructed geotechnical experts and structural engineers, who found the Southern Water four-inch main on Ocean View Road was still leaking.

They claim water was running through the grounds of their home and below the 14 tonnes of spoil from the collapsed wall.

Since the leak, David and Rachel say they have been without heating on the ground floor of their home due to the floor heaving.

Despite numerous visits from surveyors and loss adjusters, they say Southern Water has not yet accepted responsibility.

One of the collapsed gardens (Image: Contributed) Together, residents want Southern Water to provide fair compensation, to take immediate action to repair the damage and prevent future incidents and improve communication.

David said: “We just want our home and our wall returned to normal. None of this was the fault of us or our neighbours.”

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "In addition to a leak on our pipe the properties are in a known landslip area and the damage occurred during one of the wettest periods on record so the impact of the leak cannot be immediately determined.

"When the scale of potential claims became clear we handed the matter over to our insurers who will be undertaking a detailed investigation at the earliest opportunity.”