Landslip threat at cliff ‘could have been avoided’

A LANDSLIP threatening to destroy Scarborough’s South Cliff beach chalets could have been avoided after cracks in the area were reported two years ago, it has been claimed.

The claims have come from the owner of the Clock Cafe and a Scarborough councillor, and now the borough council has promised to look into what went wrong.

The chalets have netting over after a retaining wall at the rear collapsed following a landslip in March.

Labour deputy leader Coun Tony Randerson raised the issue during a Full Council meeting, laying the blame at the door of the town hall.

He said: “This defect was brought to the attention of Scarborough Borough Council some two years ago by the proprietor of the Clock Cafe. It was also raised by myself around one year ago only to be informed that it was just grass coming through the crack in the pavement and nothing to be concerned about.

“What if any actual inspection and investigation took place two years ago and one year ago when it was brought to the attention of Scarborough Council?

“It strikes me as a real possibility that this landslip could and should have been avoided.”

Coun Randerson has now called on the authority to make public the details from any inspections and surveys that took place into the crack “as a matter of urgency”.

Coun Tom Fox, a Conservative member, called the claims “concerning” and agreed more information was needed.

Coun Mike Cockerill, the cabinet member for major products, who has responsibility for the chalet situation, said he would seek information from council officers about what surveys had been carried out in the past two years and what was found.