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The neighbours of two mansions worth £1.4 million said they 'didn't hear a thing' while a deadly landslip turned two dream homes into rubble.
The freak mudslide has left the pensioner homeowners feeling heartbroken after it caused their 'forever' homes to become perched precariously above a 50ft deep railway line.
Now both properties have been officially condemned, leaving the owners homeless and their Millionaires' Row neighbours waiting for news about the future of their own properties.
Stephen and Lynne Coverdale have lived in their property on the exclusive Woodlands Estate in Baildon, West Yorkshire, since it was built in 1986, while David and Fiona Lerner moved in next door in 2009 after buying their home for £385,000.
Both homes had more than doubled in value since then but neither couple had any plans to sell - until the dramatic turn of events in February.
The freak mudslide has left the pensioner homeowners feeling heartbroken after it caused their 'forever' homes to become perched precariously above a 50ft deep railway line
All that remains of their £700k houses is rubble following the collapse of a Victorian railway embankment
One of the houses was flattened on Monday while the other happened later in the week under the plans drawn up and approved by Network Rail. Pictured: One of the houses on the exclusive Woodlands Estate in Baildon, West Yorkshire, before it was demolished
All that remains of their £700k houses is rubble following the collapse of a Victorian railway embankment which has brought other homes closer to the crumbling cliffs.
One of the houses was flattened on Monday while the other happened later in the week under the plans drawn up and approved by Network Rail.
The four pensioner owners, aged in their 60s and 70s, were said by neighbours to be too heartbroken to talk about the loss of what they believed were their forever homes.
Both couples had to be evacuated after a mudslide led to the back gardens falling down on the railway tracks below.
A neighbour said: 'We did not realise how serious it was at first. We did not hear a thing - the earth moved so quietly. The next thing we knew the gardens were gone and our neighbours were packing up all their stuff.
'They had to spend the night in a hotel straight after it happened. Then they were moved into rented accommodation locally. One couple has gone on holiday – and we don't blame them.
' I don't think they wanted to see what has happened to their houses over the last few days.
'We are a close knit community and this has shocked us to the core.'
The four pensioner owners, aged in their 60s and 70s, were said by neighbours to be too heartbroken to talk about the loss of what they believed were their forever homes. Pictured: A digger demolishes one of the homes
Fences now surround the scene where the houses used to be and the owners have been moved to temporary accommodation
The two houses pictured before the demolition. They were both perched directly above the Ilkley to Bradford line, which serves four local schools
Experts have installed monitoring devices all around the gardens and are checking around the clock for any danger signs
An aerial view of the houses (at the top of the image) and the railway line below prior to the demolition
Network Rail has now resumed around the clock efforts to reopen the line near Bradford after being forced to back off when the landslip was deemed too dangerous to work on.
Temporary sewage pipes have been laid across nearby gardens to keep the sanitation system flowing. So far electricity and gas supplies have not been affected.
Services through the town have been suspended since the disaster on February 9.
A spokesman for Network Rail said today: 'After repair work was paused due to complex issues on site, work that will allow trains between Ilkley and Bradford has resumed is now well underway.
'The volume of work required means that the line is expected to reopen at the end of June.
'Northern has operated a rail replacement service since the beginning of the closure which will continue to connect passengers through the area.
'Passengers are advised to check their journey before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or Northern's social media channels and website.'
Network Rail said it 'deeply sympathised' with the homeowners affected and would continue to make 'every effort to look after their interests'
Jason Hamilton, Route
