We're a forgotten village, say locals in Ansty

People living in the village of Ansty in Warwickshire say they feel "forgotten about", six years on from a landslip that caused a partial road closure.

Residents have been volunteering to maintain the village, and say the partially closed bridge has also been "a headache".

Warwickshire County Council said the landslip was not the authority's responsibility and that groundwork investigations would be taking place. The Canal & River Trust also said it was not responsible for the landslip. The BBC have approached Rugby Borough Council for comment.

"I've lived here all of my life. I've never seen the village in such disrepair and just totally let down and forgotten," said resident, Ian Robinson.

After five days of cutting grass, tackling overgrown vegetation and painting, volunteers said they have filled 21 one-tonne waste bags.

"Everyone is under financial pressure, but nevertheless, I think just basic maintenance of the village is not too much to ask for," said resident, Lee Hitchen.

Murray West, who has lived in the village for 11 years, said: "It's a bit disappointing that we're having to do this. Cut the grass, cut the hedges, paint.

"It's a lot of work, especially when we've all got full-time jobs."

"It certainly didn't look like this 40 years ago, when I first moved here," said Maria Willis.

She added: "We were proud of this village, but it's gone to pot."

Jonathan and Collette Brown have been dealing with a landslip behind their home for the past six years.

Collette said part of the canal embankment dropped about 4ft after heavy rainfall in October 2020.

The couple have since lost around half of their garden, with the slippage continuing to get closer to their home.

"I'm absolutely petrified, it's the one thing that keeps me awake at night," said Collette.

"Year by year it's just creeping closer and closer to the house and I just think, at what point is it going to start affecting the foundations of the house.

"I had to pay out legal fees and get technical reports to prove that it wasn't our fault.

"It just continues, and we have not been able to be out here and enjoy our garden."

Jonathan said: "We're kind of caged in. It's almost like living in an open prison that used to be our garden.

"The kind of mental health impact can't be underestimated as well."

In a statement, the Canal & River Trust said: "Since becoming aware of the issue, the charity Canal & River Trust has worked closely with Warwickshire County Council and Severn Trent, and commissioned an independent expert investigation to understand the cause of the landslip.

The investigation concluded that no remedial works were required to Trust-owned land, including the canal and the foot of the embankment, and found that the landslip had not been caused by instability on land owned by the Trust.

"As a result, responsibility for any repairs to the embankment does not rest with the Canal & River Trust."

A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: "The landslip on the canal embankment, which has required the partial closure of the carriageway crossing the bridge, was not due to any fault on the part of Warwickshire County Council, who do not own the embankment and were not responsible for the slippage.

"For the past six years, the County Council have been in regular communication with the homeowners and other agencies to try and resolve this issue and fully open the road.

"The County Council has now commissioned and will fund ground investigation works that will determine the scale of work required to make the bridge safe for two way traffic. These works are due to start in August 2026."

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.