Terrified Halifax mum and kids rescued by firefighters after waking to sound of their home crumbling

Charlotte Mee was woken in the early hours of Saturday to the horrifying sound of bricks crashing down outside her house at Charlestown Road on the outskirts of Halifax town centre.

“When I looked out of my bedroom window I couldn’t see anything but dust,” she said.

"Something told me to go downstairs and open the door. When I did, all I could see was the bricks everywhere. I had to close the door due to falling debris still coming down.

"It was like something out of Eastenders.”

She grabbed her children – aged three and five – and rang 999.

"I took them to the back end of the house as we only have the one door that was blocked with all the bricks and debris.

"We were terrified. All I could hear was falling bricks and thinking ‘My home is collapsing and we can’t get out’.

"I rang 999 and said my house is crumbling with us in it."

Firefighters managed to get the family out and they have been staying in a hotel since.

They can not go back inside to fetch any of their belongings until it is deemed safe.

"It's heartbreaking. It's our home,” said Charlotte.

“It was only a few hours before that we were outside building snowmen.”

Charlotte said she reported hearing falling masonry to Together Housing – who own the property – back in 2020.

Now her little boy does not want to live there again.

"I just want some stability for my children,” she said.

Other residents who live in neighbouring properties are also understood to have been asked to move out.

Angela Stuttard, Group Director of Property for Together Housing, said: “The safety and wellbeing of residents is our upmost priority and we immediately worked with residents to ensure that they were safe and comfortable.

"We have supported all residents affected and provided temporary accommodation.

"We have secured the area and we are in the process of planning repairs along with our insurers.

"We appreciate this is a distressing time and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused by these circumstances.”