£1m road to ruin

And they have handed a petition to Bolton North-east MP David Crausby who visited the properties to view the damage.

The Labour MP was shocked to see gaps in the walls large enough to fit a hand, cracks in the ceilings, damage to gas and electricity cables and doors coming away from the walls.

He said: "Speed is the issue here. It's not a question of who is to blame. The wait for these people has been incredible and it has been going on for some time."

The problems, say the residents, began shortly after tons of scaffolding collapsed into a 15 foot hole which had been dug behind the terraced houses by North West Water for sewer maintenance work.

The residents claim the force of the metal falling into the hole caused the earth to tremble, shaking the buildings' foundations.

Structural engineers have confirmed that the houses are suffering from subsidence. The foundations will need to be re-pinned to make them more solid.

And solicitor Stephen Maguire, of Cunningham Turner Solicitors, Blackburn, estimates that the damage may cost between £25,000 and £35,000 per home to repair.

Javid Gafoor, who lives at number 24, said: "When you pay off your mortgage, the last thing you want is to have problems like this. It's been in the same position for years and years." The residents are also angry that they have had to pour money into the houses to keep them in reasonable shape.

One family said they have spent more than £12,000 over the past seven years as their home has needed to be redecorated every six months.

Jean McIvaney, said a window cleaner managed to knock one of the house's windows out by accident when it came away from the frame. She added: "It is like the house that Jack built. Our doors won't close and the window has dropped in our bedroom. The insurance company told us we need to put £1,000 towards the costs but we don't have it."

The householders say they also had a problem with rats in the back yards and inside some of the homes and it led to the abandonment of a number of houses when the living conditions became unbearable.

Valli Patel, who has rented a house since 1995, said: "We had no alternative. We just cannot sell our homes under these conditions."

They say the situation was made worse when the road was blocked off five years ago, without informing the residents.

They are concerned that the emergency services will find it difficult to gain quick access to their road - losing vital minutes in a life-or-death situation.

Muntazir Dipoti, 22, said: "It's one thing after another. We have complained and complained but nothing has happened and our street has been untouched since I was born. In the past seven years things have just got worse."

The homes have been visited by Cllr Linda Byrne who is also pushing for an immediate remedy.

She said: "Something needs to be done as they have to get on with their lives. They cannot do anything and they are stuck in houses which need working on urgently. When I first came here I couldn't believe it."

Her views were echoed by Cllr John Noble who said: "It's gone beyond a joke."

Mr Crausby said he will be talking to councillors over the next few weeks to try to remedy the situation.

He told the residents: "What is going on here is not on and the local authority should be looking to see what solution can quickly be made possible. I don't know if the solution or the outcome will be one that people will be happy with but it will mean people can get on with their lives, knowing the outcome."

The residents are claiming that North West Water used the wrong tunnelling technique for the ground conditions.

A North West Water spokesman commented: "We understand legal proceedings are presently underway and it will be dealt with in due course."

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