A ‘wonky’ house condemned after a giant sinkhole opened up in the street outside is set to be auctioned off again today - as neighbours urge authorities to stop the yo-yo selling of the property.

The three-bed semi at 58 Victoria Road in St Peter’s, Broadstairs, is going under the hammer with a guide price of just £90,000 - less than a quarter of the average for similar homes in the area.

And a closer look at the listing on Rightmove, where it is described as “an ideal long-term investment and family home alike”, is clear evidence of why.

The front door is shut - but at a strange angle. Fresh white paint on the walls outside appears to be covering cracks, and the front garden and path seem to be on a downward slope.

The reason? Two days before Christmas in 2009 a giant sinkhole opened up in the quiet cul-de-sac, swallowing the ground around people’s homes.

Residents were evacuated as a number of properties suffered severe subsidence, with at least one family unable to return for more than two years.

The damage was caused by a burst water pipe, which washed away the foundations beneath the homes.

Those foundations were made up of silt and old tyres, as the properties were built on top of a former chalk quarry.

All the homes were repaired, except for number 58, which serves as a daily reminder to neighbours of the catastrophic impact of the sinkhole.

They say the property - which remains subject to a dangerous structure notice – is repeatedly snapped up at auction before swiftly going on the market again.

They believe buyers only view the property online before taking a gamble on the site, with the repeated sales impacting the value of nearby homes.

Mum-of-five Karen Rumsey, who lives in the street, says she is fed-up with seeing the house up for sale.

“I want the council to do something so it can't be sold again,” she said.

“Everytime it goes to auction we think ‘oh, here we go again’.

“It went to auction in February, sold, and within a month it went back to auction, sold again, and now it’s back on the market.

“How are they getting away with that?

“They advertise it as needing modernisation, but it doesn't - it has no services running to it!”

Number 58 is currently being advertised by SellProp Auctions on various property websites.

The listing gives no written indication of the reported lack of utilities or the past subsidence issues - although footage included does show a huge crack running along one of the bedroom walls.

Sold prices on Zoopla can take up to six months to appear, so recent reported sales earlier this year are not yet showing online.

However, published data does reveal the house was sold for £110,000 in September 2017, and then again just a month later for £136,000.

Just six months after that it was again snapped up, this time for £151,000.

George Allum, who also lives in Victoria Road, told KentOnline one man paid £129,000 for the house after his wife had bought the property without viewing it.

Mr Allum said: “He came down and said ‘I've just lost my money - there’s nothing you can do with it’.

“It has happened so many times.

“I hope the council can do something about that property and someone can hold people accountable for selling it.

“It’s condemned and has no foundations.

“The fact that it can’t be sold is also decreasing the value of everyone else’s property down here.

“If people don't go and see a property before buying it they are foolish, but equally they haven’t been given all the facts in this case.”

While the goings-on at Number 58 prove frustrating, neighbours are also fearful of the catastrophic events of 2009 repeating themselves.

Another sinkhole - said to be six metres deep - opened up in the cul-de-sac in 2014, with one resident describing the street as a “ticking time-bomb”.

George’s wife, Jill, who was among those evacuated in 2009, says they still have their bags packed in case they need to leave quickly.

She claims the road beneath their homes was never filled in after 2009.

“In 2014 it was completely hollow underneath, like a cave,” she said.

“You’d shine a light down and couldn't see the bottom.”

The 55-year-old says she worries another void could appear at any time – although Kent County Council and Southern Water say they are not aware of any current issues.

“We have cracks in the front of the house and in the bedroom and they are getting bigger,” she said.

“Really, it’s a ticking time-bomb.

“The water board said given the same set of circumstances that happened in 2009 it would happen again because there are no foundations. It's hollow underneath.”

The Allums say Victoria Road was once completely level. However, the tarmac and front gardens of some properties now slope downwards.

Mrs Rumsey, who rents her home, says signs of the damage caused by the first sinkhole remain.

She says the property is “very wonky”, and she has been on the council housing register for two years to try to escape the “nightmare” it has caused.

“When we moved in we didn't know about the subsidence,” she said.

“If we had, we wouldn't be living here now - it's caused nothing but grief for us.

“When my husband put the shelving up, he said to me ‘I've done it wrong, it's wonky’ but he hadn’t - the chimney breast is slanted.

“We're sick to death of it - we've been on the housing list for two years waiting to get out.

“We can't afford to move - we have five children, and renting in Broadstairs is bad enough. We only live here because it's cheaper and there's nowhere else to go.

“Something absolutely will happen again - but it's out of our hands.”

A spokesperson for Thanet District Council confirmed the authority issued dangerous structure notices for the homes in Victoria Road impacted by “sudden ground subsidence” in 2009.

They added: “All the properties were subsequently repaired, with the exception of 58 Victoria Road. This property remains empty and still subject to a dangerous structure notice.”

The spokesperson highlighted that this information is in the public domain and the details are registered on the authority’s website.

“In addition, a Land Registry search would also provide information that the property was subject to subsidence,” they added.

"While we understand that this property has been sold several times we were not aware that it was due to be sold again: the owners do not have to notify us and we usually only become aware of this when we receive enquires from prospective buyers.

“The onus is on anyone purchasing a property at auction to carry out due diligence prior to the sale."

A building control notice on TDC’s website dated August 2022 says “major structural and stabilisation works”, including to “mains services” were required – but this has been “not proceeded with”.

A Kent County Council spokesperson says repairs were carried out to Victoria Road following the sinkhole emerging in 2009 – but they would not comment on whether a risk of further voids remains.

“As the highway authority, Kent County Council is responsible for ensuring public roads are safe to use,” they said.

“In 2009, we repaired damage to the road in Victoria Road, Broadstairs, while individual householders’ insurance companies dealt with damage caused to properties off the public highway.

“KCC has received no reports of concerns or enquiries relating to the condition of the road surface at this location so far this year.

“People with concerns about a road should report them directly to us in the usual way using our fault reporting tool at www.kent.gov.uk/highways.”

A Southern Water spokesperson says the company is not aware of any current issues with its assets near the properties in Victoria Road and – like KCC – would not comment on whether a risk of further sinkholes remains.

“Six properties were affected by subsidence, following a burst water main in December 2009,” they said.

“The burst was fixed and the insurers of the property owners then carried out work to ensure the homes could be reoccupied.

“All repairs to the properties themselves following the 2009 burst water main were completed by the insurers of the properties at that time.

“We are not aware of any issues with Southern Water assets in the vicinity of the properties.

“Matters relating to the location and construction of these buildings are not for us to comment on.”

SellProp Auctions declined to comment when approached by KentOnline.