Residents were 'shaken out of bed' during Leyland housing development works

And owners of the four homes, which were built in the 1820s, claim that have cracks in the walls of their properties and have even been "shaken out of bed" by the vibrations caused by below-ground works to a new housing development.

One resident said she even resorted to paying £900 of her own money for a private structural survey to her property to determine the cause of the recent damage and disruption and claims the housing company won't take responsibility for the damage to the home she loves.

The Meadow Gate development, in Farington, was developed by Rowland homes, with works first beginning back in 2017.

But residents at Carr Lane claim that ever since the works started, vibrations have caused their houses to shift, leading walls to crack and even let in water in some circumstances.

Retired nursing officer Maggie Edmonston, 72, has lived at Carr Lane for 43 years and said she and her neighbours had never had any problems until Rowland began constructing the development.

She said: "These houses have been here for years and were built for the cotton mill managers and their families. They have stood through two world wars and I have never had any problems in all the time I have lived here.

"Then Rowland comes along and started building these modern houses that were thrown up incredibly quickly. When they started piling, all of our cottages started vibrating and we were literally shaken out of our beds and our cars were damaged from all the debris.

"There has been a shift in our houses which has meant the front has begun cracking because the bricks have moved. There can't be any other reason for the damage because it all started when their work began.

"Houses have even had water coming through which has caused my neighbours to be off sick with stress, but we are all struggling with the anxiety caused by this because they won't accept any responsibility."

Maggie knew that the problem needed escalating when she saw water coming through the cracks, running down her wallpaper and then into electrical sockets in her home.

The results from the structural survey stated that defects had "occurred recently" and could have "been a result of ground movement."

It added that “a recent movement event could potentially be associated with the nearby construction works" however, it was still unable to prove the damage was caused by the housing construction.

Maggie claims that the railway line behind the four homes was not to blame for the recent damage because it only became apparent when nearby construction work began.

Upon contacting Network Rail on November 23 of last year, they confirmed that they were not at fault, with no recent works being made to the line.

Maggie added: "It could not be anything else because we have never had any problems living here before this and it is now just going from one disaster to another.

"I am not giving up this fight. Rowland told me they weren't taking any responsibility, but I have spent a lot of money on keeping my house renovated and love my home.

"The place is going to wreck and ruin. All we want them to do is put things right and they won't do that. It just isn't good enough. Fixing this would merely be a drop in the ocean for a big company.

"I am doing this for all the residents of these cottages who are my neighbours. We have all had the same experience and know it is because of the new construction."

The Post has contacted Rowland Homes for a comment but they have not yet responded.

Their Meadow Gate development offers a range of two, three and four-bed homes over 199 plots.

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