Villagers have been left apprehensive after a landslide near their coastal homes.

Vegetation and soil tumbled onto The Riviera in Sandgate, near Folkestone, earlier this month, covering nearly half of the route, leaving residents worried about if or when another slip could occur.

The road is private, meaning villagers are dealing with the fallen debris themselves – with one man even taping off the vegetation and mud which collapsed onto the route.

This slip fol follows eight landslides this year just up the coast in Folkestone, with a hugely popular coastal park cordoned off and one of the main routes to the seafront, the Road of Remembrance, shut.

Heavy rainfall has been given as a factor behind the numerous incidents, and The Riviera residents are now concerned more landslides could be on the way.

Cecilia Sleap, 68, said: “It is a concern if we have much more rain – it all seems so much heavier, like torrential rain.

“Historically landslides were an issue but not common and not recently but if it does become more frequent it would be a real worry.”

Mrs Sleap believes there needs to be better drainage at Radnor Cliff, the road above their homes.

She said: “I’ve always felt, even before that slip, that the drainage can’t cope and maybe this is where the water is coming from.

“If we are going to have rain like this, they’d need to think about new drainage potentially.

“I hope it doesn't happen again and the rain stops. It’s a problem – we’ve got so much water and it’s got nowhere to go.”

Cllr Tim Pratcher, chair of Sandgate Parish Council, says there has been instability along Sandgate’s cliff for years, with records showing they go back to the 1820s and occurred intermittently over the 1900s.

In 1998 beach replenishment measures were taken which addressed the issue on the Esplanade, close to The Riviera

When the landslip struck on March 4, residents rallied together, and are now arranging for the fallen vegetation to be taken away, which they hope will be paid in full by insurance, but this is not yet confirmed.

Penny Visman, 85, who has lived on the road for 20 years, said: “Our immediate reaction was to clear it but we decided to be more cautious as we don't know what’s happening behind it. It’s quite worrying but it’s the rain – it’s been relentless.

“We do proper maintenance and look after it because it's our property so of course we care about it.

“It’s a worry because the emergency services use the road and someone in the sea could be in trouble. Of course, they’d find a way past it but it is a concern.”

Mrs Visman added: “I’m very relieved that we have our neighbours. We are a very close group. My neighbours even put my bins out for me because the lorry couldn’t get past. It’s things like this you don’t think about.”

Questions have been raised about why so many landslides in the district have occurred this year, and what’s being done to fix them.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council says there appears to be no single cause for the landslips. However, factors could include the high rainfall during February, and the weight of trees during high winds possibly weakening the stability of the cliff.

As well as this, the ground, known as the Folkestone Formation, is a combination of medium to coarse-grained sand with weakly cemented sandstones. This makes it prone to erosion and being unstable. The cliff by The Riviera is made of the same composition.

The authority has commissioned an investigation known as a LIDAR survey, where a drone equipped with data collection technology will enable a detailed map of the ground conditions to be created.

The survey will cover land from the harbour and along the Road of Remembrance.

The data from the survey will be analysed alongside the results of an inspection of all the large trees on the coastal park cliff.

The council’s website says: “If areas are identified as at high risk of land slippage, trees may then need to be reduced in height to maintain the stability of the cliff.”

Meanwhile, residents near the Road of Remembrance are still concerned about the area after three landslips this year, the most significant happening on January 27, which saw a number of trees fall.

The well-used route has been closed ever since, with vegetation cleared and tree height reduced at the top.

‘It is a concern if we have much more rain, it all seems so much heavier, like torrential rain...’

Ben Madin, 47, has lived above the road for the last eight months and he believes a former military rampart in his garden could be protecting his property from similar damage caused to his neighbour’s land.

But he is worried about what could happen if the fortification in his garden becomes unstable, and also falls below.

He said: “There's probably tons and tons of rock and rubble so there are worries over what would happen if it were to destabilise.

“There’s not much below us but it could hurt someone. A big slope of sandstone has come from our neighbours so it is continuing to happen. It’s impacted our plans for the property. We had thoughts of putting a deck in the garden.”

He added: “It hasn't stopped raining so I haven't taken action yet but I'm trying to do some research and find out what I should do.”

Kent County Council (KCC) as the highway authority, is continuing to work in this area to enable the road to be reopened.

KCC has been contacted for comment regarding drainage at Radnor Cliff.