Business manager left 'gobsmacked' as frustration over Swanscombe cliff collapse grows

Tap to watch a video report by ITV News Meridian's James Dunham

Residents and businesses affected by a dramatic landslip are extremely desperate to know anything, any information at all, about the repairs needed to reopen a cliff top road to the public.

The A226 Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe, Kent came crashing down almost three weeks ago on April 10th.

Thames Water were called to a ruptured main on the vital route just before the landslip and after being responsible for the site ever since now say the site is being handed over to Kent County Council.

The response from the council to that was, "we have nothing to say at this time."

Tony Buckley is the contract manager at the demolition firm Lancebox where vital machinery and equipment was destroyed by falling boulders in the cliff fall.

He says the company has not had any physical contract from Thames Water or Kent County Council.

"I'm gobsmacked, absolutely gobsmacked. You know, a cliff has fallen onto the business and no one's come down to see us, to speak to us, 'are you okay? how is this affected your business?' Nothing.

"The council need to take ownership and enforce Thames Water to take ownership, someone needs to take responsibility, while they work out who is at fault.

Tony Buckley explains the impact on the demolition firm

"We're losing money daily, it's costing us money to hire stuff out because ours is in their and buried.

"We've got no workshop so repairs to our lorries is having to be outsourced and we're having to out source labour because we can't source from here at the moment.

"Even with our transport's affected because we're having to go around the long way for places to tip."

Lancebox is losing up to £10,000 and among many businesses feeling the financial strain of the landslide.

Tia Pal and her family run the food van 'Fleet Feast' which has suffered drastically by the closure of Galley Hill Road.

Passing trade was steady business but now lorries are being diverted the busy lunchtime period is extremely quiet.

The truck only launched in February but Tia's family saw they're now worried whether or not they'd be able to continue operating.

Tia said, "We've said if we're losing more than we're putting into the business, is it worth us staying open?

"We're gonna give it a few more weeks to see how we do but at the moment it is not looking great."

"It's horrible as we put so much time and money into this and we're gutted, we really are gutted.

"There's not information we need to know what's happening and know a timeline of when this is going to be resolved."

The cause of the landslip is still being established.