Search to find who is responsible for land sliding into Halifax people's homes

Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for Climate Action, Active Travel and Housing, Coun Scott Patient, said the council understood the concern of residents of Templars Gate in Wheatley.

However the council’s role will be to use its influence and powers to ensure appropriate action was taken once responsibility for the flooded land is established.

The council has no responsibility or liability either as riparian owner or a landowner, said Coun Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot).

Although it will continue to work with partners over the issue, it will not install any monitoring equipment or carry out any works to stabilise the hillside.

Penny Hutchinson, speaking on behalf of residents, had questioned what was happening at a meeting of full council.

“Land has already slid into residents’ properties and one hasn’t been able to use their garden all year,” she said.

"We would like to know what is being done to ensure no further damage is done to properties as land is still sliding almost twice weekly into their properties.”

Coun Abigail Carr (Lib Dem, Warley) said: “As the land is now moving, residents are understandably becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility of further landslide.”

Coun Patient said the council had been investigating the potential source of flooding but had been unable to identify a single source of flow or mechanism leading to the land instability.

They were also unable to rule out a potential contribution from Yorkshire Water’s aqueduct, which runs along the top of the hillside.

The council has escalated this with Yorkshire Water who have confirmed there are a number of leaks from the aqueduct.

“While Yorkshire Water continue to investigate, we believe there is a potential correlation between the leaks identified in the aqueduct and the saturation of the land behind Templer’s Gate and the subsequent land instability,” said Coun Patient.

“Throughout, the council consistently advised residents to seek their own independent legal and technical advice and more recently to commission their own monitoring of the hillside.

“We’ve also written to Yorkshire Water to suggest they install appropriate apparatus and undertake their own monitoring as a matter of priority.”