On December 7, a house in Langford Road, Portsmouth, caved in, causing the house next door to partially collapse. “The cause is likely due to the poor quality of the bricks originally used to build the below ground level walls,” according to Portsmouth City Council. Following the collapse, two people, believed to be residents of the home, were taken to the hospital. The authority’s building control team believes the substandard bricks, “along with damp conditions and inadequate foundations,” caused the failure of the sub-floor walls. It is expected that this will only affect a limited number of properties,” said Ian Maguire, assistant director of regeneration at Portsmouth City Council. Insurance companies will confirm the precise cause of the collapse.” Residents whose homes were damaged by the collapse or who are concerned about the safety of their building should contact their building insurance company or landlord, according to the council. After the collapse initially, 18 homes were evacuated while engineers assessed the area. , three houses were later deemed “structurally unsafe”.
