House collapses in Rugby in middle of night Published duration 11 September 2019

media caption House collapses in Rugby in middle of night

A house collapsed overnight, leaving rooms exposed and debris and possessions strewn across a street.

The gable end of the property in Claremont Road, Rugby, Warwickshire fell down at about 02:00 BST.

The family who lives there were away at the time and were placed in a hotel after the collapse, but have now been found council accommodation.

One man, who lives opposite the property, said it was "lucky" no one was in the house at the time.

Martin Flowers was leaving his home at about 16:00 BST on Tuesday when he said he saw an initial collapse at the house which sent "dust up and down" the street.

When he returned at 19:00, he said, the road was closed.

"Now half the house is down," he said. "You can see the furniture and everything in their bedroom."

image copyright Martin Flowers image caption Martin Flowers said he can see the damage from his front door

Lisa Anslow, who lives nearby added: "It wasn't too obvious from the front exterior of the property, obviously there were police and the area was cordoned off so I knew something had happened and I'd noticed pictures on Facebook.

"You can now see into the actual property from the inside which is quite devastating for the family that live there."

Martin Pitcher, from Life Investments Estate Agency which manages the property, said it had arranged for the family to stay in a hotel and, because they are unable to get into their home, steps are being taken to help them.

"They are not able to access the site, so we are making sure they have all the basic amenities they need to try and take away some of the pain," he said.

image caption The family has been moved to temporary accommodation

Mr Pitcher said construction work had been taking place on the site next to the house, but the cause of the collapse is not yet known.

Rugby Borough Council said an investigation has been launched, with a structural engineer sent to assess the property.

It added its community advice and support team has spoken to the tenants who have now accepted an offer of accommodation.

An online fundraising page has been set up to help the family.

Warwickshire Police confirmed it was also called to the scene.