Chiswick Woman's Dream Home Falls Into Sea

Large section of Devon house bought unseen topples off cliff

The dream house in south Devon bought unseen by a retired police officer from Chiswick has largely toppled off the cliff, having been balanced precariously for months.

Sue Diamond, who is disabled, of Staveley Road, made a telephone auction bid of £154,500 for the house in February 2010, without viewing it or having a survey done.

A recent picture of the house in Staveley Road

But just eight days after the auction, a landslide left the 1930s house just 50 yards from a drop into the sea at Little Oddicombe and signalled the started of a lengthy legal battle.

Last Tuesday, a large section of six-bedroomed Ridgemont House dramatically crashed 300 feet down the cliff onto Little Oddicombe beach below at around 9pm. Nobody was injured in the incident. The red sandstone cliffs turned the water red in the sea around the beach. It has now been closed off to the public for health and safety reasons.

The image shows the proximity of the cliffs to houses

Following the sale of the house a protracted legal war erupted between the builder and Ms. Diamond. The auction particulars had warned buyers that the six bed house was severely structurally damaged.

The local council in Torquay has said: "Following further recent rockfalls at Little Oddicombe, we would remind people to avoid the area affected by the landslips. We have been advised by a geologist that further activity can be expected, so it is important that members of the public heed the warnings."

April 5, 2013