Concern grows among Spencer Close residents as cracks worsen on unsafe property which remains cordoned off

Concern is growing among residents of Spencer Close in Stansted that an unoccupied house in the cul de sac off Chapel Hill deemed structurally unsafe is worsening.

Huge cracks appeared in the brickwork of the property earlier this month, prompting Uttlesford District Council (UDC) to cordon it off and evacuate neighbouring homes.

Since then, the situation appears to have deteriorated, according to residents. During Storm Bert at the weekend, cracks widened and fissures opened up on the forecourt.

Stansted parish and district councillor Geoffrey Sell, who lives in the close, said the results of a ground radar survey carried out by Affinity Water on Friday November 15 were still awaited. He urged UDC to push the utility company for answers.

“We need Uttlesford to put pressure on Affinity Water to release their report as it’s causing a lot of uncertainty in Spencer Close, especially as a number of residents have got properties on the market,” he said.

“The cracks seem to have got worse and are now also on the forecourt. Two residents have returned to their homes, but the barriers are still up [around the unoccupied home],” he said.

“We need to know what is the cause of the cracks and what can be done.”

Another resident said on Sunday: “There’s been a lot of movement in the crack house over the past few hours since the winds picked up – I’m concerned it could fall down and it’s unclear what the risks are to other people’s property.”

A spokesperson for Affinity said: “We are aware of an issue near our pumping station in Stansted Mountfitchet and have been supporting investigations to determine the source and cause.

“To prioritise safety, groundwork operations at the site remain paused and we continue working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of our community.”

A spokesperson for UDC said its building surveyor had been on site on Monday (Nov 25) and reported “no noticeable changes in condition since Friday”. They added: “We have not yet seen the engineers’ investigatory report but are chasing it up.”