A MAN has spoken of his devastation after a huge landslide opened up at the back of his house.
Simon Sugden, who lives in Westlea Avenue in Riddlesden, Keighley, raised the alarm in the early hours of Sunday morning, when he saw water coming down the road.
LATEST: Dramatic pictures have emerged showing the devastation left by the collapse
Emergency services were scrambled to the scene and Simon and his five-year-old daughter were evacuated from the property.
Shocking footage has emerged on social media, showing the scale of the damage.
He said: "There's a landslide at the back of my house, I don't know whether I'm going to lose my house or not.
"It's a massive hole, it goes down to the River Aire. I'm absolutely devastated, it was my grandma and grandad's house that's been passed on to me.
"My dad's ashes are in the garden, all my stuff is in the house. It's taken my next door neighbour's garden down, a bit of my garden as well."
He said he has no idea when he'll be able to go back and it's now a waiting game to hear what is happening.
Mr Sugden raised concern that a blocked culvert may have caused the issues.
A Canal & River Trust spokesperson said the culvert is not on its land, but is further down, while the culvert that goes under the canal is clear.
Terrence Smith has lived on road for 15 years and described the situation as frightening and that the end of one of the gardens is like a sheer drop.
The homes are currently blocked off by fencing.
Volunteers rallied around to offer support as torrential downpours caused flooding misery across the area.
People were offered hot water and directed to a food shelter opened at Riddlesden United Reformed Church, in Bar Lane, by Councillor Caroline Firth and volunteers.
Cllr Firth said: "Losing power for the day was difficult for residents, especially vulnerable people, who the council was able to support.
"But my thoughts are with the six families which have had to be evacuated from their homes. My heart goes out to them, it’s such an awful situation.
"I’ve managed to speak to a couple of them and I can’t imagine what they are going through.
"I want to thank Riddlesden United Reformed Church for opening its doors to the community, and the various volunteers who helped run the shelter. I know many, many more people who have been willing to step forward to help, as we have a tight-knit community.
"The fallout from the rainfall is still being felt, after various houses across Riddlesden, East Morton and Long Lee were breached by floodwater or were close to being breached.
"Our emergency teams and utility firms are working hard to help people in this difficult time, while highways and gullies teams are working flat out to clear roads and debris. Their response has been simply amazing, and I can’t thank them enough."
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "Council staff have worked around the clock since Friday and have been carefully monitoring the situation all weekend.
"Emergency planning and building control rapidly responded when the landslip made this property unstable and we quickly evacuated six houses to ensure people were safe.
"Utility services turned off the gas, electricity and water to the properties as a precautionary measure and we fenced off affected parts of the road.
"Local councillors, staff and residents from United Reformed Church supported the evacuated residents by proving shelter, food, hot drinks and emotional support.
"Our drainage team will investigate reports of a blocked culvert and will take appropriate action to remedy it.
"We are currently meeting with a range of services to work through if our residents can be helped to return to their properties safely."
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