A crane was used to help engineers deal with a 100-year-old wall that is threatening to collapse on houses on a street in Leicester.
The six meter high wall runs along the back of a series of lots on Halstead Street in the Spinney Hills neighborhood of the city.
Leicester City Council build security teams began work to secure the structure yesterday, urging people in nine houses to evacuate it during the day while the crane was used to lift material over their roofs.
The work continues to this day and on Monday and Tuesday.
The residents of four private houses closest to the wall have already moved to alternative accommodation.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
The crane is used to clean regrowing shrubs and trees and to get over the top of the wall so that structural engineers can better see the crumbling structure.
It is under 24 hour surveillance in case its condition worsens and it should begin to fall.
This work is already taking place in the rear area of the evacuated property.
John Leach, the city council’s neighborhood and environmental services director, said, “We had a team of seasoned emergency management officers talking to residents today to tell them what we need to do to keep their homes safe and secure .
“We ask people not to stay home during working hours on the four days indicated, and we have offered assistance where it is needed.
The crane towers over the houses on Halstead Street
(Image: Leicester Mercury)
“We have also brought the families who have already left their homes up to date and assigned a dedicated contact person for the residents who will support them and the other affected residents on the street.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this causes, but human safety must be our number one priority.”
The city administration tries to determine which properties are responsible for the maintenance of the wall, but uses its emergency building inspectorate powers to take measures to secure the wall.
The council is waiting for an updated assessment from the civil engineers it works with, after which the next steps will be shared with residents and property owners.
