A stubborn man is refusing to leave his collapsing cliffside home after a water leak caused a huge five foot drop to form in his garden and driveway.
George Gardiner ran a tea room with his wife out of their home for 22 years with views overlooking the English Channel but a water leak has devastated the property.
The damage to his home is so severe that he has to physically climb to get to his front door.
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The 82-year-old, who lives alone in Luccombe on the Isle of Wight, is worried where he will end up after turning down alternative safer accommodation offered by his water company.
"I do wonder what is going to happen to me in the end, but it's just one of those things isn't it?", he toldthe BBC .
The former air ambulance paramedic said that he repeatedly tried to contact Southern Water about a leak in his garage that is friend eventually helped fix.
But late last year, a water main burst at the same time that huge new cracks began appearing on his property, which required Southern Water to visit to fix the pipe.
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When his garden and driveway fell last year, Isle of Wight Council closed part of the coastal path outside his house that was bordered by dangerous cracks.
Southern Water said it had received a claim that a leaking pipe had "allegedly caused subsidence to the property".
It added: "This matter is complex and has been referred to our insurers who are currently investigating liability.
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"Without prejudice to ongoing liability investigations, an offer of alternative accommodation has been made to Mr Gardiner."
The island authority said landslips were "not uncommon" in George’s area.
"The council have erected temporary coastal path diversion signage and the situation will be monitored and reopening opportunities will be considered once the current damage has settled," it said.
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