A LANDSLIDE of 100 tonnes of rock and mud engulfed sheds and smashed cars into houses in Rossendale.

Residents said they heard a long rumble like thunder as the 20ft high stone retaining wall behind their homes gave way and part of the hillside crashed down with it into the lane.

Nina Spencer, of Hightown, Whitewell Bottom, said she ran outside to see boulders bouncing into the houses and cars at 8pm yesterday.

She said: "It was horrendous. We saw all the soil tumbling down and pushing the cars into the houses, it felt like an earthquake. One shed just moved a metre sideways as if it was on wheels.

"Two boys were driving along the lane with their hi-fi on loud and it was so dark they nearly drove right under it. I stopped them just in time."

Resident Tom Keymer, 72, was watching the television when he heard a crashing noise. He said: "I couldn't understand what it was but I never dreamed it could be this. I nearly had a fit when I saw it."

A 25 metre section of wall collapsed and completely blocked the lane behind the terrace, burying two sheds and a scooter and damaging two cars which were shoved into the houses (see picture). Firefighters from Rawtenstall and Haslingden attended with incident support units from Accrington and Preston while paramedics remained on standby.

Rossendale Council's engineer also checked the damage and decided it was safe for residents to stay in their homes.

Station officer David Bent, of Rawtenstall fire service, said a fast-flowing stream further up the hill had overflowed and water had run down the back of the wall, turning the earth into mud. The retaining wall had then come away from the hillside and fallen down, and the earth behind it had slipped. Firefighters and council staff, working by floodlight, used diggers and lifting equipment to clear the earth last night.

Hightown is a row of terraced houses on the hillside, running parallel to Burnley Road East. Last year the 80ft high retaining wall below the houses was replaced by Rossendale Borough Council at a cost of £360,000 after residents had campaigned for it to be made safe.

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