Langford Road house collapse: 'Poor quality' bricks 'likely cause' of structural damage at Portsmouth home

The property in Buckland suddenly caved in at roughly 8.30am on December 7, with emergency services – police, firefighters and medical personnel – rushing to the scene. It also caused a partial collapse at the house next door.

Portsmouth City Council (PCC) said it was likely caused by low-quality building materials. The authority told the BBC: ‘The cause is likely due to the poor quality of the bricks originally used to build the below ground level walls.’

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PCC added its building control team believe substandard bricks caused the failure of the sub-floor walls, as well as ‘damp conditions’ and ‘inadequate foundations’. Assistant director of regeneration, Ian Maguire, told the BBC: ‘It is expected that this would only affect a limited number of properties.

‘The insurance companies will be confirming the definitive cause of the collapse.’ Residents along the road were evacuated at the time of the collapse.

Paramedics from South Central Ambulance Service (Scas) treated the home’s residents – a woman and her daughter. The pair were taken to hospital, but family friends reported they were safe and recovering.

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A fundraiser collected over £2,900 for both of them in a bid to rebuild their lives. An exclusion zone in the street covered four properties, with three homes being found to be structurally unsafe.

In total, 23 homes were evacuated, according to PCC. As previously reported in The News, neighbours heard‘awful cracks’ forming along the walls of their house on the day of the disaster.