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Collapsed wall "looked like an earthquake"

"Earthquake zone" - the collapsed wall in Church Terrace, Luton
"Earthquake zone" - the collapsed wall in Church Terrace, Luton

It may look like the aftermath of an earthquake but this was the scene in a quiet street in Chatham after a wall collapsed.

The 100ft Victorian wall in Church Terrace, Luton, came crashing down at about 9am on Saturday.

The wall fell several feet into a graveyard, taking parts of the road with it.

Witness Ian Harvey, 49, was nearby scraping the ice off his car when it happened.

He said: “A car drove past me in the road and as it went past there was a loud noise that sounded like a lorry emptying rubble.

“When I turned around I realised the wall had gone.

A section of a wall at the edge of the road had fallen 6ft on to the graves in the adjacent churchyard with large gaps appearing in the road.

“I immediately stopped other vehicles from using the road and called the police.

“It was lucky no one was hurt as the graveyard is often used by dog walkers.”

“More of the road has continued to disappear since the initial collapse.”

Police cordoned off the road for safety and Medway Council engineers were called to the scene to inspect the damage.

It is thought the road could be closed for several days.

Dennis Whitlock, who lives opposite the churchyard, said: “It was very lucky there were no cars parked on that side of the road.

“We are assuming it fell because of the snow and the frost we have had this week.

“It looks like it’s going to be a major job to put it right.”

Another witness said: “It looks like there has been an earthquake.”

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