30 SEP

Shops closed due to landslide in town centre

By timesecholife on in All News, Latest News

A landslide has resulted in a number of shops in a Moorlands town to be closed today (Monday, September 30). The incident, believed to have been caused by the heavy rain of late, happened at the back of a number of shops in Cheadle's High Street in the early hours of Sunday (September 29) morning. The Samaritan's 'Little Charity Shop' is believed to be the worst affected after bricks and concrete have fallen into the rear of the shop causing “significant structural damage” including broken windows.

Shop manager Vikki Barlow told the Times & Echo: “It happened at around 1.30am on Sunday morning.
“Samaritans has been the worst hit with significant structural damage, and the shops either side have also suffered.
“The structural engineer has told us to stay out of the shops as there is a huge piece of the driveway precariously balanced on debris that has gone through our rear upstairs window.”
Luckily no one was in the building at the time of the incident. The upstairs rooms of the charity shop are used as sorting rooms.
Vikki said that she felt “sad, devastated and overwhelmed” when she saw the damage caused to the shop. She added: “It’s frightening to think it could have come down at anytime.
“I am just grateful it happened when no one was there.”
Vikki has started an online fund-raising campaign following this incident.
She said: “We have started a fund-raising campaign to hopefully recoup our loss of business and donations.
“We currently have no idea how long the shop will be shut.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by visiting the charity shop’s Facebook page ‘The Little Charity Shop’.