Mother's shock as she discovers 13ft HOLE in her garden - that had been there for 29 YEARS
A MOTHER hanging her washing was shocked to discover a 13ft HOLE had appeared in her back garden.
Sue Bree, 55, from Birmingham, West Mids, had been living at the same property for 29 years without realising she was walking over a well that was at least 13ft deep.
It was only recently that Ms Bree, a stay-at-home mum of one, spotted a dip in her manicured lawn and resolved to fill it with top soil.
But upon using a garden tool to prod the soil, the garden caved in, leaving Ms Bree stunned to find a hidden well at her feet.
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I think it's a bit deep to fill completely
Now, after both the council and her insurance company have refused to do anything about it, Ms Bree has had to board up the well herself to prevent her cat falling down it.
And, according to neighbours, old maps in fact reveal that Ms Bree's property may have housed a well in the past before it was built over.
She said: "I've been living in the same house for 29 years, hanging the washing out in the garden and I have never realised that there was a well underneath me.
"I don't have a large garden, so I've been walking over it every day without paying it any notice. We've mown the lawn countless times, so it's a miracle that nobody ever fell down it.
"I had noticed a bit of a dip in the lawn over the past few months so a friend and I gave it a bit of a prod with a garden tool.
"The next thing we knew, the entire area had caved in and we were stood there gazing down into a massive well - it goes to show you never know what's at the bottom of your garden.
"It was just as well we checked it out, as I had intended to just pull the turf away and put more top soil on it. I'd of probably ended up at the bottom in that case.
"When I called the council about the issue, they suggested that I turn it into a garden feature and the insurance company just said to board it up - I'm not really sure what to do with it.
"One thing is for sure, I'm not able to hang the washing out to dry as it's in a pretty central part of the garden, in the way.
"After all the soil and debris is moved away, it's at least 13ft deep. I'd never have thought it."
Ms Bree has since boarded up the well to prevent her cat, Scratch, seven, falling down but has also received a lot of attention from her neighbours who believe it belonged to an old farm.
She added: "I've had to place some wood over the opening to make sure that Scratch doesn't fall down - he's a pretty curious cat.
"My neighbours were all offering to help fill it in, but I think it's a bit deep to fill completely.
"One of them even found some old maps of the area and reckons that my house and garden were built on an old farm. The maps show that there was what appears to be an old well, right where the middle of my garden is."
