Watch: Cracks appear in driveways as locals fear gardens will collapse after start of nearby building work

Furious locals say their gardens and driveways are collapsing after building work started on a new estate.

Residents in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, were shocked when cracks appeared in their driveways. Large chunks of people’s gardens in George Street also sank by up to 3ft amid fears of a major landslip.

The damage is believed to have been caused by powerful vibrations coming from diggers doing groundworks on a new housing development nearby. Construction has been temporarily halted as investigations are carried out into the building work which developers blame on “heavy rain”.

Resident Susan Tighe, 81, says a large area of her lawn and driveway has sunk into the ground.

Susan said: “We think it’s the vibration of the machinery that’s caused the problems. The vibration of the machinery has shaken the earth around the garden.”

Linda Jackson, 74, said: “Our concern is because they’ve dug away the bank and left a 15ft drop from our garden, we’re concerned that the same thing will happen to us and our lawn will fall away.”

A spokesperson for Ashberry Homes, a part of Bellway, said: "We have investigated the root cause of the issue and determined that heavy rain over the weekend has exacerbated this problem.

"We have now put temporary measures in place to restrict any further movement and planned works to the area in question will be starting imminently to provide a permanent retaining structure along this boundary.”