Residents have been furious after construction work on a £245million tram line has wreaked havoc on their gardens.
Locals in Middle Meadow, Tipton, have been left with partially collapsed gardens and ‘cracks in their lawns’ amid Midland Metro Alliance’s earthshaking work.
The tram network had been laying around 6.8 miles of extra track as part of multi-million pound Brierley Hill Metro Extension, which would include 17 stops.
However, according to enraged homwowners, works on the new tramline have ruined their back gardens by causing cracks in walls and fissures to appear in the ground.
Ryan Kumar, who lives with his parents Gurpreet and Ash, has blamed the developers and their ‘heavy vibration work at the bottom of [their] valley’ for their ruined garden.
‘They were doing heavy vibration and we noticed the houses were shaking and then we saw cracks appear in the garden,’ he said.
Now, he barely goes into his garden as he doesn’t ‘want to look’ at the aftermath.
‘When this all started, the first thing I’d do when I woke up was look out the back window and see if the end of my garden was still there.’
Ryan Kumar’s family garden (pictured), which he says has been heavily impacted by developers and their ‘heavy vibration work’ by Midland Metro Alliance
The garden of Manpreet Kaur (pictured) with a huge ground fissure running through it
Mr Kumar barely goes into his garden as he doesn’t ‘want to look’ at the aftermath.
Cracks in the wall of Mr Kumar’s garden, he claims it was caused by work carried out by developers
First built in 2005, some properties in Middle Meadow are worth up to £450,000.
However one unfortunate resident, who spent £40,000 turning his garden into an oasis, now could lose it to a potential collapse.
‘I have lived here for many years and have spent lots of money on the garden,’ he said.
‘I would estimate around £40,000 to make it look the way I wanted. These earthworks are shaking the foundations of our gardens.
‘The cracks in the lawn and the garden walls have got bigger and bigger so you can easily fit your hand in them.
‘People living here really fear their gardens will just crumble away.’
Construction of a new branch line from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill was previously halted by the Covid pandemic in 2020 but started again last year.
The Transport for West Midlands who are responsible for the Midland Metro Alliance, said has launched a probe into the garden collapses.
Construction of a new branch line from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill was previously halted by the Covid pandemic in 2020 but started again last year
Another backyard in Middle Meadow, where a crack is running through their patio
A general view of Middle Meadow, where houses were built in 2005, and are said to be worth up to £450,000
The Transport for West Midlands who are responsible for the Midland Metro Alliance, said has launched a probe into the garden collapses (Pictured: A sign for Middle Meadow)
A spokesperson said: ‘We have taken this matter very seriously and fully understand the frustration residents are experiencing.
‘As soon as we were made aware of the issues, we began working with residents and specialist engineers to carry out an investigation to identify the potential cause.
‘Some investigations are ongoing because the potential causes are complex given they include unknown historic ground conditions and developments over the years which predate the start of works for the metro.
‘We have taken steps to mitigate the risks and we have supported residents throughout this process and will continue to do so as works progress with stabilising the embankment.’
