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Posted: 14-04-2008 09:35 Post subject: Unusual Landslip threatens homes

Curse of the disappearing clifftop: Bungalows left teetering after 20ft of land was lost in a month
By CHRIS BROOKE Last updated at 09:20am on 14th April 2008

Perched on top of a cliff, the houses of Knipe Point were notable for their magnificent sea views.

But after a landslip of terrifying proportions, their position has changed from a blessing to a curse.

Up to 20ft of land has vanished in the last month, with 6ft apparently disappearing in a single night.

The result is that bungalows have been left teetering on the brink of a cliff, if not slightly over it. Owners were forced to evacuate after their back gardens and sections of patio disappeared.

Today, demolition experts will begin knocking down two condemned family homes on the North Yorkshire coast before they are claimed by the forces of nature.

Three further properties overlooking Cayton Bay, near Scarborough, are in the immediate danger zone... and more could go if the mysterious landslip continues to gobble up the cliff.

The owners do not know if insurance companies will pay out to cover the cost as the circumstances are so unusual. While the National Trust, which owns the surrounding land, said water had caused the damage, the problem is said to be unconnected to the more common problem of coastal erosion.

Kevin and Mary Lloyd, who have owned their detached house for 17 years, were told to remove their possessions only hours after Mr Lloyd had returned from hospital where he had a hip replaced. Near neighbours Moya Green, 72, and her husband John, 73, bought their home 28 years ago.

"It's extremely worrying," said Mrs Green. "The wood below used to be dry with a little stream and suddenly it has become a lake."

The National Trust's property manager Bob Dicker said: "The landslip is caused by water for the most part. What we don't know is where the water is coming from."

(Several pics on page.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=559456&in_page_id=1770

Posted: 14-04-2008 23:03 Post subject:

Frank Lloyd Wright said to never build on your best view.

Posted: 19-04-2008 19:46 Post subject:

Landslip residents 'need answers'

Residents living near the scene of a coastal landslip say they are desperate to find the cause of the slide which has been claiming homes and gardens.

Demolition has already begun on a row of houses left teetering on a cliff edge at Knipe Point near Scarborough.

Bulldozers moved in after residents were told to leave their homes overlooking Cayton Bay in North Yorks.

Residents Association chairman David Stothard said the landslip had "come out of the blue."

Mr Stothard said: "The development of the site started about 25 to 30 years ago, and in that time the movement of the cliff edge has been minimal.

"It hasn't been a cause for concern at all, in fact when consultants looked at the coast strategy for Scarborough Council they didn't flag up land slippage at Knipe Point as an issue at all.

"They flagged up one or two coastal issues, but nothing about landslip, so this has come out of the blue."

People were told to leave after gardens and patios crumbled and fell 100ft (30.4m) below the houses which are built on National Trust land.

The National Trust said it was investigating why the land has slipped.

Two homes have already been demolished before the land below them crumbled way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7356000.stm

Posted: 19-04-2008 19:53 Post subject:

And in Germany...

Rügen: German island's 'white cliffs' collapsing into the sea
Tony Paterson in Berlin
Saturday, 19 April 2008

The towering chalk cliffs that form the spectacular coastline of the Baltic holiday island of Rügen have been immortalised by 19th- century Romantic painters and are Germany's equivalent of the white cliffs of Dover – but now they are collapsing into the sea.

Officials on Germany's largest island were yesterday forced to shut down a harbour on Rügen's north east coast and close kilometre-long stretches of beach because of fears that large swathes of its legendary cliffs would disintegrate and tumble into the Baltic Sea.

The emergency measures were announced after a 100-metre long section of cliff near the island port of Sassnitz fell into the sea on Wednesday, sending 20,000 cubic metres of chalk crashing several hundred feet on to the beach below. The landslide posed a serious threat to tourists, who visit Rügen in large numbers.

Island officials and conservation experts said yesterday that unusually high rainfall and record water table levels had caused the cliffs to become completely waterlogged, which made them particularly susceptible to disintegration and collapse. Tourists were warned to stay off all beaches beneath the cliffs.

Jörg Gothow, the spokesman for civil engineers monitoring the state of the cliffs, said that every second measuring device installed along one section showed that water content levels had topped last year's all-time high. "The water levels are extreme," he said.

Rügen's chalk cliffs feature in numerous works by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, who visited the island frequently at the beginning of the 19th century. The cliffs, which offer panoramic views of the Baltic Sea and Germany's mainland coast, are the highlight of the island's national park and are visited by millions each year.

Aerial photographs of the island's north-east normally display a pristine coastline of shining white cliffs crowned by a large forest of beech trees. But pictures taken this week showed that huge swathes of cliff face had been stained brown by the flow of rainwater or had simply collapsed, crushing carefully-built wooden cliff stairways under heaps of sodden chalk. The latest casualty to suffer from the imminent threat of a cliff landslide is the small yacht and fishing harbour at the village of Lohme on Rügen's north coast. The harbour was allowed to disintegrate while Rügen was under Communist rule, but it was painstakingly restored after German reunification in 1990 and offered hotels, a pub-restaurant and facilities for yachts.

The harbour and the surrounding village are facing an uncertain future. "Because of the current situation we have been forced to shut down the entire harbour and the pub," Karl-Heinz Walter, a district official, said yesterday. He said a ban had been imposed on entering a number of other properties in the village because the cliff face above was unstable. "There is an extreme danger of further landslides ," he said.

A landslide first hit the village in March 2005, when a 100-metre section of cliff toppled into the harbour – nearly taking a retirement home with it. In recent years many sections of cliff face have collapsed on to Rügen's beaches or into the sea below.

A vista called Wissower Klinken, which forms a ravine in the cliffs, was captured by Friedrich in one of his paintings. The artist's view was permanently altered in early 2005 when a section of cliff depicted in the painting collapsed on to the beach below after heavy rain.

Geologists say the cliffs have always suffered from erosion resulting from hard frosts followed by a sudden thaw and the effects of wind and waves. However, the heavy rainfall experienced during recent winters, which coincides with scientific data about the warming of the Baltic Sea, appears to have dramatically worsened the problem.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/rgen-german-islands-white-cliffs-collapsing-into-the-sea-811795.html

{Perhaps this thread should be in Earth Mysteries...?]

Posted: 18-02-2009 11:18 Post subject:

Chunk of clifftop garden falls into the sea
Clifftop erosion claims 6ft-long section of couple's land
Sam Jones guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 February 2009 16.22 GMT

Few property crashes are as devastatingly literal as the one recently experienced by the residents of Old Castle Road, Weymouth.

Ralph and Heather Cradick awoke last week to find the recent heavy rains had caused a landslide that left their clifftop garden 6ft shorter than it used to be.

The first hint that their coastal backyard was not exactly where they had left it the night before came when the retired couple noticed the view had changed.

"Behind the bushes, we could suddenly see the sea," said Mr Cradick. "We found about 6ft from a corner of the garden and [a section] about 15ft wide had gone."

The couple, who have lived in their home in the Dorset town for 15 years, remain philosophical despite the rapid erosion of their property, arguing that they still have 70ft of garden left.

The remaining chunk, they argue, should last another century. "At our age we are not likely to live that long, so it's not likely to affect us," said Mr Cradick.

Instead, their thoughts were with the man whose pottering could be severely limited – unless he knows how to abseil.

"It's caused more trouble to the neighbour, who had steps and a shed halfway down the cliff," said the retired company director. "The steps have been damaged badly and the shed has been pushed over altogether."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/17/garden-sea-erosion-dorset

Posted: 19-07-2009 10:17 Post subject:

Three people missing after two homes plunge over cliff during landslide
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:25 PM on 18th July 2009

Three people are missing after a lakeside cliff collapsed, sending two houses plummeting into the depths of a disused mineshaft.
The incident, which happened in the German town of Nachterstedt early this morning, saw a 350-metre stretch of shoreline collapse. One home was completely destroyed, and another split in half in the catastrophe.

Around seven other homes, now just a few feet from the drop, had a narrow escape.

The town, around 170km south of Berlin, is next to an old open-cast coal mine converted to a lake.
The missing people included a man and a couple, all believed to be aged in their 50s.

There had been heavy rain in the area, but experts say the mining activity had probably made the land unstable.
The stretch of land which collapsed into the lake is believed to be 350m long and 120m wide.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200567/Three-people-missing-homes-plunge-cliff-landslide.html

Posted: 22-11-2011 10:25 Post subject:

Californian road slides into the sea after heavy rains
A large chunk of a Los Angeles coastal road slips into the Pacific ocean following a mudslide caused by heavy storms.
[video of aftermath]
10:03PM GMT 21 Nov 2011

Huge 25-foot chasms and crevices appeared in the Paseo del Mar road in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles.
Sections of tarmac completely sank into the ocean taking power cables and street lights with it.

The stretch of road had been considered at risk for several months, and people had been warned to stay clear ahead of Sunday's storm.
The road had been shut before Sunday's landslide, and the mayor's office said no people were hurt or property damaged by the slip.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8905716/Californian-road-slides-into-the-sea-after-heavy-rains.html

Posted: 29-11-2012 08:41 Post subject:

Whitby landslip: Five houses left dangling over drop
[video: Jude Knight has lived on Aelfleda Terrace in Whitby for 26 years]

Five properties in a North Yorkshire town have been left hanging over a sheer drop following a landslip.
The landslide during the night left the row of terraced houses on Aelfleda Terrace, Whitby, structurally unsafe.
Scarborough council said the site was being prepared for demolition which was due to take place on Thursday.

It added that the cause of the landslide was not known and only one of the properties was occupied. The others were either empty or holiday lets.
The terrace of fishermans' cottages, which are more than 100 years old, overlook the seaside town from the east side of the River Esk and are just a few hundred metres from the historic Whitby Abbey.

Resident Jude Knight, who has been forced to leave her home, said: "I've never been without a home before."
She added: "I've got a lot of my life in there, 26 years really."

The authority said officers had been at the site during the night to monitor the area for further signs of movement.
A further slippage did occur, which resulted in loose material falling down the slope and stopping at the back of three unoccupied properties on Primitive Methodist Chapel Yard.

The council said because of the need to ensure the properties did not collapse down the slope, demolition would be carried out in a step-by-step approach from the back of homes.

A spokeswoman said: "We are continuing to liaise with the owners of the properties directly affected and those in the immediate surrounding area to keep them updated with our progress.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience these works will cause, but as I hope people will appreciate, it is important that swift action is taken."

The area has experienced huge amounts of rainfall in the last 48 hours with the nearby RAF station at Fylingdales named as one of the wettest areas in the UK on Tuesday.

Alan Tomlinson, owner of one of the affected properties, said he believed the cause of the landslip was due to drainage issues caused by work carried out by Yorkshire Water.
In a statement, Yorkshire Water said: "We have been in ongoing dialogue with the owners with regards to the sewer that serves these properties.
"We are not going to jump to any conclusions but rest assured we remain committed to continue working with the property owners and the council to understand what's happened."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-20527471

Posted: 29-11-2012 22:07 Post subject:

No homes at risk here, but still a big problem:

Abseilers inspect Devon railway line landslip

Engineers had to abseil about 80ft (25m) down a cliff to examine a Devon rail line which was closed after a landslip.
Network Rail staff had to leave the scene in Teignmouth after further mudslides made it too dangerous to inspect on foot.
The area was closed on Wednesday after mud slid on to two lines linking Exeter and Plymouth.
Network Rail said abseiling was the only way to carry out a survey.

Contractor Amco brought in the specialist abseilers to asses the landslip.
The infrastructure owner said it was hoped work to repair damage caused by the landslip would enable services to resume on Saturday.
Network Rail said once engineers had removed the mud, rubble and debris and made the line safe, trains would resume at a reduced speed.

Meanwhile, a passengers' group has called on the government to establish a transport resilience task force for south-west England.
TravelWatch SouthWest said the call was a reaction to the flooding which resulted in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset being cut off from London and the wider rail network for several days.
The watchdog said more robust plans were needed to improve infrastructure and service management.

It said such a task force should include Network Rail, train operators, local authorities, local enterprise partnerships and key stakeholders representing business and users.

The main line from Exeter to the rest of the country has reopened.
However, it could be another two weeks before services were completely back to normal, Network Rail said.
Flooding has also affected the line between Exeter and Barnstaple, with buses replacing trains.
There is also a limited train service between Exeter and Yeovil, with buses supplementing the train service.
Full details of affected services are on the National Rail website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-20538711

Posted: 03-12-2012 16:36 Post subject:

Diversions after South West coast path falls

Heavy rain has led to five diversions on the coastal path around Devon and Cornwall.
A South West Coast Path spokesman said there had been an "exceptional" amount of landslips in the past two weeks.
It is warning walkers on the 600-mile route from Minehead to Poole to beware of landslips and report any more.

Diversions are in place at Crock Point on Exmoor, Porthallow and from Talland Bay to Looe in Cornwall, Thurlestone to Hope Cove and at Seaton in Devon.

Mark Owen of South West Coast Path said: "We are working with local authorities and landowners to find suitable alternative routes."
The organisation estimates that coast path walkers spend at least £222m every year.

In Sidmouth, Devon, a rain-soaked cliff top plunged 100ft to the beach.
The moment was captured by 70-year-old John Austin who spotted a crack in the red sandstone cliffs.
He said: "It's the first time I've seen anything like that."
Local residents in Cliff Road have now seen large parts of their rear gardens disappear from sight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20581088

Posted: 04-12-2012 08:54 Post subject:

A387 in Looe closed for 'foreseeable future'

A main route into the Cornish town of Looe, blocked by a landslip following recent heavy rain, is to remain closed for the foreseeable future, highways officials say.
The A387 was shut at Sandplace Road last Friday.

Elsewhere in the town, the B3253 at St Martin's Hill was reduced to one lane after another landslip.
Cornwall Council said it would remain single-lane until engineers stabilised a supporting hillside.

The coastal town and port has a population of about 5,000.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-20588733

Posted: 05-12-2012 01:04 Post subject:

According to Mum there's a couple of dead dolphins washed up on Par beach and the council workers are too busy to remove them, so of course no cause of death established.

Posted: 10-01-2013 17:29 Post subject:

Whitby landslip exposes human bones at 'Dracula graveyard'

Human bones have been exposed at a church graveyard in Whitby after a landslide took away part of the cliff.
The large landslip, at the cliff on which St Mary's Church stands, has exposed ancient graves when rock started to crumble.
The church, founded around AD1110, includes the graveyard that provided the inspiration for a scene in Bram Stoker's horror novel Dracula.

The human bones have been collected and will be reinterred, officials said.
The landslide has been blamed on a broken drainage pipe which has become damaged and fallen away.
This meant that after heavy rainfall the soil became saturated, leading to more of the cliff falling away.
A stream of water can now be seen flowing out of the rock face where the bones are believed to have been recovered.

St Mary's rector, Canon David Smith said: "The cemetery has been closed for over a century, so if any graves are exposed it's only bones.
"If anything is exposed we collect and reinter them in the same churchyard away from the edge."

More cracks have since appeared in the cliff top at St Mary's churchyard and warning signs have been installed along the pathway.
Residents and business owners in the area are now concerned further landslides may occur should the cliff be subjected to more heavy rainfall.

Barry Brown, owner of Fortune's Kippers on Henrietta Street, below the cliff, voiced his fears of further movement.
He said: "There is still stuff coming down. It is currently no worse, but not a lot better either.
"They started work this week but it all depends on the weather."

The church, a famous setting in Bram Stoker's Dracula, was built more than 900 years ago, with the cemetery closing in 1865.
Canon Smith said: "St Mary's is the oldest building left in Whitby.
"It is a Grade I listed building and still the parish church so it would be a loss to the community."

The land, including the cliff itself, is the property of the church, and so it is their responsibility to carry out repairs.
Canon Smith added: "The church has been trying to get things done and we have had a civil engineer and people working to sort it out.
"They've been trying to find where the water was coming from and making the cliff edge more secure."

Whitby town councillor, Steve Smith, said the church building was not under threat.
He said: "The church is close to the edge of the landslip, some work has been done by a mini digger to do exploration work where the slippage is.
"I'm assured by the rector of the church, Canon David Smith that the church itself is built on a solid rock foundation."

The landslide comes after five houses in Aelfleda Terrace, Whitby, were demolished in December after heavy rain and flooding washed the steep bank beneath them away.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-20970716

Posted: 10-01-2013 23:36 Post subject:

Well they missed that during The Archers jolly to Whitby, some would tell me that it's not real, but I don't believe it myself.

Posted: 04-04-2013 19:33 Post subject:

South West coast path landslips 10 times higher than normal

There have been 10 times more landslips than normal on the South West coast path over the winter, figures show.
The South West Coast Path Association said 30 slips and cliff falls have been recorded since November.
Between 2007 and 2012 there were 11 major cliff falls that resulted in a diversion of the coast path

Earlier this week, thousands of tonnes of earth and sandstone fell from the cliffs at Oddicombe in Devon, turning the sea red.

The coastpath, which is 630 miles long (1,014km), starts at Minehead in Somerset and follows the entire South West peninsula covering Devon and Cornwall's north and south coasts all the way to Poole Harbour in Dorset.

The association, which supports and promotes the path, said prolonged rainfall has made the cliffs along it far more unstable than normal.
Many sections of the path have had to be diverted as a result of the falls, with many warning signs erected to walkers to take extra care.

Association spokesman Steve Church said the "unprecedented" number of falls was alarming.
"Thirty-odd cliff falls around the whole of the cliff path - not just Devon - is an unprecedented number and they still seem to be coming at the moment unfortunately, so it's all a bit alarming," he told BBC News.
"The difficulty is knowing exactly when things have stabilised enough to be actually attempt a long-term reinstatement. I hope we're getting to that stage."

In February Natural England, which looks after national trails, said the funding to repair damage to the coast path would not be available, but the association said because it has been fundraising to mark the path's 40th anniversary, it will have money for some repairs.

South West Coast Path National Trail Officer Mark Owen said research it commissioned last year estimated the direct spend attributable to walkers on the coast path in 2011 was more than £350m.

He said the annual maintenance budget had been reduced - in common with other government budgets - by 30% since 2009, but at £600,000 there was now "minimal slack" to cover the cost of repairing the amount of damage caused in the past few months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22029730