THE END could be in sight for residents concerned over a wall which collapsed three years ago.

Residents feared they would have to foot a £30,000 bill to rebuild the 25ft-high retaining stone wall when heavy rain led to its collapse behind houses in Hightown, Whitewell Bottom, in February 2000.

The incident sent 100 tonnes of mud and rubble crashing into the street after cars smashed into the terraced homes while terrified residents watched helpless.

Three years on and Rossendale Council have now agreed to carry out investigations into the future of the site.

A firm of contractors erected shoring and excavation work was carried out to make sure the area was stabilised and safe after the accident.

But the problem didn't stop there -- in 1997 residents were locked in a battle with the council who declared a 20-foot retaining wall at the front of their properties unsafe by Rossendale engineers.

It took eight years for the wall to be made safe -- costing the council in excess of £300,000.

But residents said they are still plagued by the mess and rubble from the landslide.

Residents' spokesman Thomas Keymer, 76, retired, who lives at High Town with his wife Elsie, 67, said: "Nobody will lay claim to the responsibility. The church collects the ground rent but it is charitable so it is not their responsibility. The farmer is not responsible and the council won't do anything about it.

"We can't sell our homes because of the situation and people can't get mortgages here because of the wall. It is an ongoing nightmare for all the residents living here.

"We were consulted recently on the possibility of taking out a roll-up loan which is like a mortgage at an estimated cost of around £30,000. People living here can't afford to pay that kind of money so it is worrying us all. My wife and I are suffering stress because of it. It's not our wall so why should we have to pay for it."

A spokesman for Rossendale Council said: "We looked into the issue of liability and tried to trace the owners of the land and looked into whose responsibility the land was.

"It is an awkward situation for everyone concerned. No-one is laying claim to the wall. The land above the wall belongs to the farmer and the land at the back of the houses belongs to the home owners - it does not belong to the council.

"There is a health and safety issue and we made it safe with a stone pier and metal structure to keep it safe.

"We have allocated £8,000 in our Capital Budget to repair the wall, we asked residents to pay 50 per cent towards the repairs but they have been unable to do that.

"We are now looking at the possibility of building a lower wall between 6ft-8ft high which would do the job. If that's a viable option we hope that will be covered by the money put in the Capital Budget. That will mean residents will not have to find any money."