Residential Home Closed after landslip

Work will continue to prevent a retaining wall collapsing at a housing development in Dromore, County Down.

Engineers will try to reduce the load on the wall at Barban Hill which is at risk of collapse due to a landslip.

On Thursday, eight homes were evacuated and 17 elderly residents from the Skeagh Care Home were re-located.

Engineers advised them that they be moved after a retaining wall at the back of the property was at risk of collapsing.

The Southern Health Trust said they do not know when the residents will be allowed to return to the home.

David Law the developer who built the houses said hundreds of tonnes of earth have already been removed.

"Part of this mountain has slipped a little bit and continues to slip. On this sits a retaining wall which supports the gardens of the property as it continues to move," he said.

"We are monitoring the situation and on Thursday we removed around 400 tonnes of earth and indeed we saw the weight of slide diminish.

"That may be due to our actions or it may be due to nature."