These dramatic pictures show the full extent of the landslip which occurred this morning at Fernley Mill Drive, off Leeds Road, Huddersfield.
Residents from the block of flats were evacuated after reports that there had been subsidence in the car park which is situated next to the River Colne.
Emergency services raced to the area with police taping the scene off while firefighters from Rastrick Fire Station helped technicians from Yorkshire Water isolate the supply.
Staff from Kirklees Council also attended.
Keith Hiscocks, a 59-year-old HGV driver, who has lived at the block for 18 months partner Davinia, said he had rescued his Audi Quattro Sport just in the nick of time.
He said: “At 8.20am I noticed it was subsiding so I pulled it out and moved it to the back of the car park.
“Three quarters of an hour later I went out again and it was sinking down quite badly.
“It had sunk really bad, perhaps as much as 2ft-3ft. I got it out just in time and fortunately there was hardly a scratch on it.”
Malcolm McMath who has lived in the block for nine months said: “The problem is centred around a disused pipe that carried out to the old dye works, Bottomleys.
“They shut down a few years ago.”
Another resident, David Lockwood, a 34-year-old sales advisor, who has lived on the second floor off Fearnley Mill for four years, said he had just been out to buy some food and was looking forward to cooking his Sunday lunch when told an evacuation was required and residents could not go back in.
He said: “I may have to end up cooking it at a friend’s house today.”
