A COUPLE and their nine-year-old daughter have been left homeless after their home started to sink.

Ian and Andrea Balm and daughter Leanna were told by firefighters they had just 15 minutes to grab their belongings during the drama.

Cracks began appearing in the walls and the family said cracking noises could be heard in the house in Maiden Lane, Dartford.

A second family of three, whose house is attached to that of Mr and Mr Balm, were also hurried out by emergency crews on Thursday evening.

Mr Balm, 32, a carpenter, said: "I have never seen anything like this in all my life."

Mr Balm was also in the process of building a room for the couple new baby, due in about two weeks' time.

The cause of the subsidence is being investigated, but the family believe it was caused by a burst water main after water began pouring from paving stones in the road.

The family is currently staying in a hotel in Bexleyheath, being paid for by their insurance company.

A spokesman for Thames Water said there was no void caused by the burst water main, but the company is continuing to help council surveyors with their investigations.

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