House collapses in Rugby in middle of night

[dutchman]

A house collapsed overnight, leaving rooms exposed and debris and possessions strewn across a street



The gable end of the property in Claremont Road, Rugby, Warwickshire fell down at about 02:00 BST.

The family who lives there were away at the time and were placed in a hotel after the collapse, but have now been found council accommodation.

Lisa Anslow, who lives nearby, described the scene as "devastating".

She said: "It wasn't too obvious from the front exterior of the property, obviously there were police and the area was cordoned off so I knew something had happened and I'd noticed pictures on Facebook.

"You can now see into the actual property from the inside which is quite devastating for the family that live there."

Martin Pitcher, from Life Investments Estate Agency which manages the property, said it had arranged for the family to stay in a hotel and, because they are unable to get into their home, steps are being taken to help them.

"They are not able to access the site, so we are making sure they have all the basic amenities they need to try and take away some of the pain," he said.

Rugby Borough Council said its community advice and support team has spoken to the tenants who have now accepted an offer of accommodation.

A fundraising page has also been set up to help the family.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the collapse, with a structural engineer set to assess the property.

Warwickshire Police confirmed it was also called to the scene.

[dutchman]

Roads still closed around collapsed home



Roads remain closed around the house in Rugby which collapsed earlier this week.

The family of five who lived there have moved into emergency accommodation but have no furniture.

The family have told me that late afternoon they would usually be preparing a meal for their children.

They weren't at home when their kitchen collapsed, but they cannot get out of their minds how close they came to disaster.

The collapse was completed at about 02:00 when the gable end of the property on Claremont Road fell down.

Now charities and friends are rushing to help the family who in the past have raised tens of thousands of pounds for others.