UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR QUAKE FAMILIES

Up to 20 buildings in Folkestone, Kent, have been classed as very dangerous, and an estimated 150 have been deemed as dangerous with loose chimney stacks, tiles and masonry.

Eight hundred calls have been made to a helpline from residents mainly reporting shaky chimneys and structural damage, a Shepway District Council spokeswoman said.

Most of them have either decided to stay with friends or family or been able to cautiously return to their homes as it emerged the laborious clear-up process could take weeks.

A Salvation Army rest centre may be stood down after just two families required shelter, but residents needing accommodation will be put up in a hotel.

Building control officers and structural engineers have been working with fire crews assessing buildings and removing precariously-perched chimney pots and tiles.

Building control teams from across Kent have been drafted in to ease the burden and speed up the process of analysing damaged buildings.

A Shepway District Council spokeswoman said: "Our aim is to get round to everyone who is affected to ensure no-one is in a position where they are staying in an unsafe property."

Disaster struck when an earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale caused widespread problems, temporarily knocking out power lines and sending chimneys and masonry falling.

The moderate shock centred on five streets in the Foord area of Folkestone but resulted in only one person, a 30-year-old woman, suffering minor injuries to her head and neck.