'We can't sell our house after seven years of sinkhole misery'

"We own our house but it's basically worth nothing – we can't sell it and we can't move," says Rowena Halstead.

For the last seven years, she and other residents on their estate have had to put up with a huge sinkhole in part of the road, disrupting daily life and threatening to swallow homes - with no solution in site.

"Things like bricks randomly break or you look at the ceiling and there's a crack," she sighed.

Some living on Boatman Drive in Stoke-on-Trent told me they felt their lives were at risk, with emergency services unable to reach them as quickly as before the sinkhole.

The local council, water company and developer have all denied responsibility for fixing the problem and it will be at least another year before a court decides who should do the work.

The first signs of the ongoing problem emerged in 2019, when huge cracks appeared and pavements started to sag as the effects of the sinkhole were first spotted.

Halstead said the issue got especially stressful for her when her husband was waiting for a transplant.

Ambulances had to park on nearby streets, with paramedics carrying medical equipment - including oxygen tanks - to help him.

"When he needed all the services, it was very, very hard," she admitted.

Access to and from the road now works with the use traffic lights, following a row in which some locals moved concrete barriers which were blocking the road.

Her own property was not directly affected by the sinkhole but she said she was still concerned and had seen some signs - like cracks and bricks breaking off - showing all was not well.

Unlike some of her neighbours, who bought their properties at auction, Halstead said she was covered by insurance.

But she said she had only been able to maintain the cover because the policy predated issues on the road.

However, for her and her husband, she said she was left feeling "stuck" as a result of not being able to sell the house.

When the couple had previously tried to leave, they got offers "nowhere near" what they originally paid.

"My husband spent 42 years as a doctor, working and paying off his mortgage, and he owns a plot of land which is essentially worth nothing," Halstead added.

Sri Madadi is another local resident fed up at the sinkhole.

"It is very much a concern if our family members are not treated in time, if the emergency services aren't able to reach in time," he said.

"We can't sell our house, we can't move. It's frustrating."

He added he had concerns there could be further hidden problems beneath his home that have not yet come to light.

"Basically we don't know what's underneath our house, we have no idea. It could be our house [affected by the sinkhole] as well in a few years' time," he said.

Another local resident, who did not want to be named, told BBC Radio Stoke they were moved out of their house for six months "while it was underpinned".

Access was blocked off completely for some time which they said was difficult, with getting cars around the area and the binmen unable to get to them, she said.

"It's difficult and it's gone on a long, long time," she added.

She said she did though feel lucky because she was a tenant rather than a homeowner.

"I don't think you'd sell it, or get a mortgage or anything, because of what's going on," she told me.

"It's a shame because it's a nice estate, I like the area."

Their local MP, Gareth Snell, said the situation was "completely unacceptable" for residents who have been left with "an ongoing hazard and an eyesore".

"Whilst the council and the developer are waiting for a court date to argue about who is responsible for repairs, residents are left bearing the consequences and worrying about the safety and value of their homes," he said.

He added he had called for the authority to undertake repairs and then seek to reclaim the costs from the liable parties but this suggestion had been rejected, with the council claiming it was only liable for the road surface.

"It's ridiculous that wrangling between a multi-million pound developer and the local council is causing such misery to local people," Snell said.

Severn Trent, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Redrow Homes were asked to comment on the homeowners and Snell's latest statements.

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