Couple Told 'Your House is Unsafe' - Move Out
Fire fighters told couple Ian and Andrea Balm to move out of their house immediately after it was deemed unsafe for them to stay in anymore when it almost collapsed around them.
The cracks that started to appear in their home are still unexplained and the family are still living in rented accommodation across the road from the house that is too dangerous to move back in to.
The rent for the temporary accommodation they are staying in is being paid for by their home insurer Norwich Union, while work and surveillances are being carried out to try and ascertain the root of the problem.
The house next door to the Balm’s has also been affected and workmen have already started work there by digging holes around the property. They are now hoping work on their own home in Maiden Lane, Dartford, will take place sometime this week.
When Ian and Andrea purchased their home in 2006 it was surveyed but only a low risk of subsidence was noted on the report.
Burst Underground Pipe
They first noticed cracks when water from a deep underground pipe started to run down the pavement outside their house. Shortly after this the home next door to them suffered a burst pipe.
Both the houses and the surrounding area of up to 50m was declared unsafe after a survey was carried out by the Dartford Council and scaffolding was put up to secure the buildings would not fall down. The road was also closed.
Although the cause is not yet known, it is believed that the foundations of the houses could have been damaged by water from a burst pipe. Natural subsidence could well have caused the pipe to burst pipe. Until all investigations have been carried out fully nobody seems to know why or what will happen to the two homes.
Mr Balm, a 32-year-old carpenter, said: "It is all down to Thames Water as far as I'm concerned.
"I think the house should be demolished and rebuilt. It is too far gone. The only way I will move my family back into it is if it is rebuilt. I put a lot of work into that house and now it is all ruined."
Contractors from Thames Water were unable to switch off the water after working on it for 24 hours and Becky Johnson who is a spokesperson for the Company said "The investigation is being led by the householder's insurance company and we are awaiting the results.
"We are in liaison with the insurance company and we lend our support."
Never Rains but Pours
t was not enough for the family to content with, Andrea was heavily pregnant with her second child and eleven days after having to move out of her home she went into labour and gave birth to a son they called Kian.
Their family pet dog ‘Honey’ was so shaken by the experience that a few days later she developed alopecia and lost all her hair.
They are still waiting to find out what is going on and what is going to happen to their home. Meanwhile the house is still moving with the cracks getting bigger.
Mr Balm said "No-one has told us what is going on. We have been left in the lurch. We are never going to be settled in this place."
