Video: House crumbles into red sea after landslide in Torquay

Just last month, reckless tourists were risking their lives by climbing up a 150ft landslip in Torquay - to see the house collapsing on it.

In February 2010, 5,000 tonnes of boulders crashed down onto Oddicombe Beach in Torquay from below Ridgemont House, which was left just 50 yards from the edge of the cliff.

The landslip left the house uninhabitable in a crumbling mess and a very precarious and unstable position.

Council chiefs warned that the entire building could come crashing down at any given moment, and that is exactly what has now happened following another landslide.

As recently as mid-December 2012, a geologist warned that a major fall was "imminent" at Oddicombe, after a number of smaller landslips occurred.

According to YouTube user Andrew Fletcher, the house was bought in February 2010 by retired police officer Sue Diamond, who made a telephone bid at auction for £154,500 without viewing it or having a survey done.

Just eight days after she bought it, the huge landslide left it perilously close to falling into the sea.

Ms Diamond said the house was uninhabitable, and worth only £3,500. At its peak it was worth around £1.5 million.

She was then embroiled in a legal battle with the builder who sold it to her, Matthew Taylor.

But, in 2010, a judge ordered Ms Diamond to pay Mr Taylor what she owed him.

Three years later, only one half of the house is still standing, with the rest of it crumbling into the sea below, along with hundreds of tonnes of red-earth cliff rocks and sandstone.

According to the BBC, the Torquay and Paignton sea wall was breached, and repairs will take much of the week.

Neighbours who live near the house said the cliff collapsed at around 9pm on Tuesday night.

One resident told This Is South Devon: "I had a phone call from a friend at 9pm. He just said 'the cliff's gone'."

Council chiefs have warned the public to stay away from the area.

But Oddicombe beach cafe owner Adele Farrell said: "The whole landscape of the beach has changed overnight, but Oddicombe beach is totally safe, it's only Little Oddicombe that's falling."

See Mr Fletcher's footage below:

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