Now a HOUSE collapses in Corby after heavy rain

The tenants, one of whom has lived in the house for six decades since he was just eight, were miraculously not in the house when a rear wall fell down yesterday (Thursday, June 13) afternoon.

Amazingly, they slept inside the former Rockingham Forest hunting lodge last night as normal as they had no alternative accommodation.

It follows our reports yesterday of a sink hole opening up in West Glebe Park and then a landslip leaving hundreds of train passengers stranded.

One of the tenants of the farmhouse , a teacher, left for work as normal with the house intact at 2.45pm and at 3.45pm when her farmer husband returned, he found that the solid stone exterior wall had fallen down.

The grade II-listed Weldon Lodge Farm House in Gretton Road stood in its own farmland for centuries until it was purchased by Rockingham Speedway and the farmland used for the motor racing track.

The agricultural tenants remained in the farm then, five years ago, major groundworks began to build the 5,000-home Priors Hall development right on their doorstep.

Last year, puzzling trenches began to appear in their front garden and then huge cracks opened up in the walls of the front part of the house.

But yesterday's catastrophic collapse of the rear of the house will mean that they cannot stay there - at least in the short-term.

One of the tenants, who did not wish to be named said: "I left for work at 2.45pm and by 3.45pm my husband came back and it was down.

"That's how lucky we were.

"It could have been the end for us.

"The landlord sent someone out to shore it up at the side and they've put props on the inside of the house to save the roof from falling in.

"We didn't want to stay there last night but an architect friend of mine said the front of the house was safe.

"All our stuff is still inside. We only have the clothes we are standing in.

"We are hoping that the landlords will find us suitable accommodation while it's fixed."

The rear of the house has the bathroom and kitchen in it and is inaccessible due to the collapse.

"We'd noticed trenches appearing in the garden but nothing was done about them.

"Then there have been cracks in the main bit of the house for a year but we didn't think this would happen.

"We have lost some things but we're OK and that's the most important thing to me."

Rockingham Speedway's owners have been contacted for comment.