New home loses part of garden in Oddicombe rock fall

A Devon homeowner lost part of her garden in a rock fall days after buying the house for a knock-down price.

The six-bedroom detached house sold for £154,500 at auction because it had structural damage caused by a fault line, estate agents said.

But on Sunday, only days after Ridgemont House was bought, part of the garden collapsed on to Oddicombe Beach.

The property now sits about 150ft (45.7m) from the edge of the 300ft high (91.4m) cliff.

Rachel Gibbs, from estate agents Fox and Sons which handled the auction on Thursday, said: "It's sat on a geographical fault line where two different types of rock meet under the property.

"A lot of people saw it as an ideal opportunity to create their dream home in a lovely location if they can get planning for it.

"It overlooks Babbacombe Bay from the garden, it's just stunning."

Beach shut

Other homes on the same road in Torquay have sold for up to £675,000 because of their stunning sea views.

The 5,000-tonne rock fall sparked a major search amid fears that joggers or dog walkers had been trapped but no-one was found.

The whole of Oddicombe Beach will be shut for several days as a result of secondary rock falls which were happening.

A Torbay Council spokeswoman said the beach was closed in 2002 and saw a major rock fall in 2003.

She said: "There's nothing we can do to save it so it's being left to natural erosion"