GAZETTE & HERALD: RESIDENTS in Churchill Close, Calne, are celebrating as work to stop land subsidence began last week.

North Wiltshire District Council has now started clearing the land behind homes.

Resident Jenny Lloyd said she had lost around seven feet of her back garden in the last three years. There is now a 20ft drop on the end boundary.

She said: "We always said we would not believe work would happen until the diggers came.

"We have worked so hard over the last two or three years. We are very pleased to see them out there and they are working very hard. We are really delighted."

Ms Lloyd said she was shocked by the volume of land that had been lost which could be seen more clearly following the council's work.

She also said she was glad the residents' campaign had proved successful.

"Our boundary levels will be reinstated plus an extra one metre. All of this will be completed and the replanting started in the autumn.

"We campaigned very hard to get everyone together and really worked on this. I am very pleased North Wiltshire District Council is moving forward now."

A special crib lock wall, a wooden structure tied in with steel poles and then filled with earth, will be built to halt the subsidence at the bottom of the gardens.

Coun Ross Henning of North Wiltshire District Council said it was hoped to complete the wall this year.

He said: "They are clearing the undergrowth.

"There are no big trees and it is mainly smaller ones being cleared.

"We wanted to do this early so we weren't getting into nesting times so we weren't disturbing wildlife.

"We are looking at starting to build the structure in late spring."