A single mum has been left devastated after her dream garden has become too dangerous for her children to play in following a landslide nightmare next door.
Victoria Bowden was a proud first-time buyer when she moved into her Torquay home with her two young children in 2019.
Three years later, her "little slice of heaven" is now anything but that after a string of developers bought and sold the neighbouring plot which has been reduced to a "landslide".
Homeowner Victoria says that the plot has changed hands at auction four times as land prices soar across the south coast of England.
Now, her and her children, now aged eight and 10, have lost their sunny slice of heaven because they can no longer take advantage of their once beautiful back garden, DevonLive reports.
The garden, which boasts stunning views looking out across Torquay, is no longer safe for the family to relax in after the most recent work, according to the heart-broken mum-of-two.
Victoria said: "We have had no access to our garden now for 13 or 14 months - since March last year. The builder said it would be built by August.
"When they started the work the builders put a bungee cord across our gate at the top.
We've just got a small backyard but this garden at the top was our little sunny sun trap. The kids are eight and 10 now and we would go out there together. I was just gutted.
"I bought this home in 2019. I was a first time buyer and extremely proud of what I had managed to achieve for myself and my children.
"The garden was small but it was a useable sunny outdoor space and we regularly sat up there together. Next to my house was a piece of land that was sold at auction.
"Actually it has been sold at auction four times now to various developers who all planned to build a house on it. They come along, make contact with me, promise to compensate me for my troubles while they are building and then leave, having sold the land to the next guy who comes along and does the same."
After the most recent work she said the diggers turned up but then everything stopped and the plot is now for sale once again:
"It is extremely dangerous and I will not allow my children to go up there! It is an accident waiting to happen.
"Now the land will be sold again and the whole process starts again. I have zero faith that the next developer won't do the same. I cannot afford any legal representation.
"I cannot afford to fix this myself, it would cost thousands. I am really in a situation here and I would welcome advice on what to do."
The current owner of the plot, Anthony Tester, says that the landslide was caused because a retaining wall which should have been built when the houses were first erected was not in place as shown when the original drawings were signed off by Torbay Council.
He said: "I've got sympathy for her and I understand her concern. When we started work we found that the retaining wall from her property wasn't in place. There is absolutely no question that the wall will not be built.
"The wall is on her land and I have told her that I'm prepared to help her. What's happened here is a force of nature.
"The plot has been sold because I've had a change in health. It's a good piece of land for a good sized property to be built on."
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