A couple have been left 'devastated' after waking up to find their stunning £850,000 cottage had started sinking 'overnight' - forcing them to abandon the property.
Ken Pitts and wife Gail, in their 60s, discovered their idyllic thatched home on the River Bure in Horning, Norfolk had developed a severe tilt around three months ago.
The couple have now been forced to move out of their home of 17 years while they wait to find out whether it will have to be demolished.
Today Mr Pitts said there had been no warning signs that the west side of their home starting to sink and that it simply happened 'overnight', leaving them 'devastated'.
Ken Pitts and wife Gail, in their 60s, discovered their idyllic thatched home on the River Bure in Horning, Norfolk had started sinking around three months ago
The property can be seen sinking into the river from a nearby road. Mr Pitts has been left 'devastated' by the situation, which he claims happened 'overnight'
Signs have been erected around the property with the words 'Danger; Unsafe.' A nearby building surveyor has suggested the property may have started sinking as a result of broken timber foundations
Neighbours have claimed the 1970s-built cottage started sinking shortly after it was re-thatched because wooden pile foundations had broken under the weight.
Signs have been erected around the property with the words 'Danger; Unsafe.'
The site of their reed-thatched home leaning significantly to one side has caused a stir among locals and passers-by.
Building surveyor at North & Hawkins Building Consultancy, Tom North, 40, offered his thoughts on why the property might be sinking.
He said: 'Obviously the area is extremely wet and most of those properties, and certainly the old ones, will have timber pile foundations which will be driven down to the ground.
'One possibility is the house may have timber pile foundations and the timber piles may have broken because the ground below has shifted or has decayed and deteriorated.
'Because
