CONCERNED residents of Parton were evacuated from their homes for two days this week over landslip fears, they have not yet returned to their homes as the News & Star went to press.

Inclement weather caused damage to the Parton landscape on Wednesday which was threatening to collapse onto nearby properties and the St Bridget’s Primary School grounds.

Residents were evacuated from their properties overnight with some staying in The Ennerdale Hotel.

Members of the public in Parton could be seen talking to emergency services personnel on Thursday, hoping to find out if they could return to their homes.

Main Street which runs past the school has been closed for safety.

Chairman of Parton Parish Council Stephen Tumelty said: “I live on the top so we’ve been alright, it’s more the school and these houses at the bottom.

“There’s a big amount of soil that could come down, they couldn’t just leave it. I think they have to move it somehow.

“There has been a lot of workers in there doing the school up before it opens.”

But the school has now had to close until it is safe for pupils to return.

Evacuated resident Janice Moore lives next to the site on the west side. She said: “I can’t understand why we’re out, the buses are still coming down.

“It needs to be taken away before it comes down.”

Cumbria County Council’s Highways Teams remain on site to maintain the road closure and safety of the site.

A spokesperson for the county council said: “Our immediate priority, working with multi-agency partners, is ensuring public safety and the wellbeing of professionals working on the site.

“Overnight, fourteen properties have been evacuated as a precaution and road and footpath closures are currently in place as a precautionary measure.

They said: “People who have been displaced are being supported where required and this support involves District, County Council and NHS officers working together with those affected locally.