Crash, and GBP 5m houses disappear in Knightsbridge

DEVELOPERS renovating a terrace in Knightsbridge were today surveying the wreckage after three of the houses were turned into rubble.

The Grade II listed houses, worth around GBP 5 million, collapsed in a cloud of dust yards from the San Lorenzo restaurant in Beauchamp Place.

Police evacuated shoppers and diners minutes before tons of masonry and scaffolding toppled into the street, one of London's smartest. As the debris settled a plume of dust rose from the ruins of what had been a fine piece of real estate. Part of it had been a Janet Reger underwear shop. A builder working on the site was slightly hurt and was treated in hospital for a twisted ankle and minor injuries. There was nobody else in the building. The houses, which were undergoing extensive renovations, may have been weakened by the high winds over the weekend. Residents told how they heard the building creaking during Saturday's storms. Dominic Brown, 38, manager of Pasta Prego restaurant, next door to the devastated site, said he was worried his restaurant might be the next to go. Mr Brown said: "There was a huge crash when the interior collapsed and an even bigger one when the front went. Our waiter, Ahmed Msetfi, had just walked past the building and is very shaken, as are the rest of the staff. "There is a large crack in our wall and other buildings are bowing badly. I don't hold out much hope for them." Guneri Ertencan, 62, an accountant who lives in the road, said: "I walked passed the building minutes before it collapsed. It could have come down on me. It is a terrible mess." Firefighters and police this morning began clearing up the rubble.

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