Families in a Surrey community are living with the fear that their homes could collapse without warning after serious subsidence left some properties at risk of being demolished.

Residents in Guildford say they are terrified that their 1930s houses could shift, slide down the hillside or suffer a catastrophic collapse as the ground beneath them continues to move.

As many as 1,000 homes could eventually be demolished, rebuilt or regenerated in response to the widespread subsidence affecting parts of Guildford.

The damage has been linked to shallow foundations laid in the clay soil when the properties were constructed.

Thirty-five council-owned homes have already been left vacant because of the structural problems, while a number of privately owned properties are also affected.

Residents describe watching large cracks spread across interior and exterior walls, with some unable to open or shut their doors and windows properly. The worsening damage has fuelled fears that their homes may eventually give way.

The worst-hit areas are understood to be Park Barn and Westborough.

The unstable clay is especially problematic as its condition changes. Locals say the ground shifts when it becomes wet and moves again as it dries out, while the fact that many properties sit on a slope adds to the concerns.

Emma Young, a 27-year-old pregnant mother, says she has been living in “constant fear” since moving into her privately rented home in January. At the time, she said, there was no visible sign that anything was wrong.

“Since then, cracks have kept appearing,” she said. “They are spreading through the walls and bricks, and we cannot open the front door. It is an awful way to live.”

Emma, who has a young son and is expecting another baby, said she no longer feels the property is safe. “I worry the whole house could come down at any moment,” she said. “What if it collapses on us? We would have no chance.”

The family is now hoping to leave as soon as possible. Emma said the damage had created safety concerns, including possible fire risks, and that they were being forced to use the back door. “If a fire started at the rear, I do not know what we would do,” she said.

“It is a complete nightmare. We just want a normal family home,” Emma added. “Sometimes we sit there and hear dust falling from the ceiling and walls because of the subsidence.”

She said the house appeared to be deteriorating a little more each day. “It feels as though it is slowly falling apart, and I am frightened that one day it could all give way. It is horrendous.”

Kristine Osborne, 30, is facing similar problems at her family home, where cracks have continued to develop. A door upstairs has also become stuck and can no longer be opened.

The neighbouring property has been sealed off and left unoccupied, with scaffolding and metal supports installed to help hold the building in place.

Many others in the area also have the same support structures around them. Kristine said: ‘We’ve been waiting to move for four years. Ours is a council house.

‘Our front door is stuck and there’s cracks everywhere. It’s really bad. They’ve just grown in time. There’s not really much we can do. We’re just waiting.

‘Everything was fine when we first moved in. It’s just gotten worse since then. The plan is to knock this down but they need to find us somewhere to go first.’

Another private resident in the area said she feared her house would also collapse. She said: ‘It’s terrifying. I have no idea what will happen. We sit there thinking a disaster will strike.’

Pensioner Alastair Montgomery, 88, lives in a council-owned property which is also impacted.

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He has suffered a heart attack and has other health issues but is adamant he will not move out.

He said: ‘I’m going nowhere. The cracks first appeared three or four years ago, it’s fine. I am very happy here. It has everything I need. Unless they said, it was going to collapse now, which it won’t, then I am not leaving.’ 

The scale of the demolition and what comes after is yet to be decided by Guildford Borough Council.

Councillor Julia McShane, Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Housing, said: ‘The Westborough and Park Barn Better Homes Programme is moving forward, with community engagement due to begin in early November. 

‘Residents will be able to share their views through local events, an online survey, and direct phone and email channels.

‘The programme aims to improve homes and neighbourhoods, while ensuring residents play a central role in shaping future proposals. At this stage, no decisions have been made.

‘We’re working with a specialist community engagement team to help us hear from as many people as possible and understand what matters most to residents, including tenants, leaseholders, homeowners, families, young people, older residents and local organisations.

‘Residents’ feedback will play an important role in developing the next phase of the programme. By listening to local experiences, priorities and hopes for the future, we can help ensure plans reflect the needs of the community and create lasting benefits for Westborough and Park Barn. 

‘We’ll publish more information on the community engagement programme in the coming weeks and encourage everyone to get involved.

‘We’re also working to make immediate improvements in the area. Some Council-owned homes are affected by structural issues, and we’re actively managing these concerns while supporting affected tenants. 

‘We continue to inspect and monitor properties closely, taking action where needed to help keep residents safe and supported.

‘Demolition work is progressing on several Council-owned empty homes. Removing these vacant properties will address safety concerns and support wider improvements to the area while longer-term plans are developed.’

She later added: ‘Many of the homes in Westborough and Park Barn were built between the 1930s and 1970s. As with other ageing homes across the country, some properties are affected by subsidence. 

‘This is primarily linked to the shallow foundations used in older buildings and the area’s London Clay soil, which expands and contracts in response to changes in moisture levels over time.

‘We are taking a proactive and long-term approach to address these challenges. In March, we launched a major initiative to improve housing and public spaces, while placing residents at the heart of shaping plans for their community.

‘The safety and wellbeing of our tenants is our highest priority. We continue to complete comprehensive inspections and monitoring of Council-owned homes, acting swiftly where intervention is needed. 

‘Where properties are found to be structurally unsafe and no longer suitable for occupation, we are moving forward with demolition while ensuring affected residents receive appropriate support. 

‘Alongside managing immediate issues, our Better Homes Programme provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver safer, more sustainable homes and a stronger future for the local community.’

Disturbing social media posts linked to the parents of a baby boy whose body lay undiscovered for months in a fly-infested motel room have revealed apparent fixations with Satanism, missing children and alleged conspiracies.

Yue Ning Lieu, 42, also known as Linda Lieu, and her partner, Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, were arrested on Saturday after police found the infant’s decomposing remains at the Tollgate Motel in Glen Osmond, Adelaide.

The couple has been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains. The baby was reportedly discovered beneath blankets, while incense was allegedly burning nearby in an apparent attempt to mask the odour.

Houghton is also facing a separate charge of hindering police.

The pair had been staying at the budget accommodation after moving to South Australia from interstate early this year. Police said they had no contact with state authorities during their time there.

In the weeks leading up to the discovery, Lieu posted online as many as 20 times a day, writing about aliens, mind control and forces she believed were directing their attention towards her.

Houghton, meanwhile, had a lengthy record of unsettling posts made under the username Benjamin.Houghton666, with numerous references to the Devil.

In several posts, he claimed secret agents were taking children. Elsewhere, he described himself as the “Dark Lord” and wrote: “Hail Satan.”

One post cited passages from the Book of Revelation about Satan and displayed images of celebrities and politicians before asking: “Figured out who Satan’s people are yet?”

The same upload included graphic footage of dogs being butchered, accompanied by a soundtrack of screams, squeals and grunts.

In one of his final posts, Houghton shared a video claiming that 11 children had been reported missing in North Dakota within a 17-day period.

The video showed photographs of three children said to be missing, set to music from the ABC children’s programme Play School.

As the children’s faces appeared, the lyrics played: “I’m so hungry, so hungry, very, very hungry, I want something I can munch.”

Other posts focused on claims that he was under surveillance, that his electronic devices had been compromised and that unidentified people were monitoring him.

Houghton referred to Lieu as his wife, although neither appeared to have posted photographs of them together, her pregnancy or the birth of their son online.

In another post, Houghton appeared to allude to tensions with his family, writing that he had been “born in the wrong family”.

His wife also regularly uploaded photographs of herself appealing for cash donations to continue producing her online content of increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories.

On Tuesday the Daily Mail revealed that Lieu had previously disappeared with another young child, prompting a police investigation amid fears for their welfare.

Five years earlier, the then 36-year-old disappeared with her two-year-old daughter triggering a police investigation.

The pair were last seen by family at a home in Riverwood, in Sydney’s south, on May 11, 2021, before worried relatives reported them missing to Campsie Police three days later.

Police issued a public appeal for information urging anyone who had seen them to come forward.

Then, eight days after she disappeared, almost 300km away Lieu walked alone into a Canberra police station.

Following further inquiries, officers eventually tracked down her daughter at a relative’s home in Victoria.

It remains unclear why Lieu disappeared with the toddler or what circumstances prompted her family to raise the alarm.

The Daily Mail has confirmed the daughter, now seven, was not at the motel when police found the remains of her baby brother and had not traveled to South Australia with her mother.

Lieu, who describes herself online as a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, also operated a blog called Health in Lieu, where she published lengthy posts about government surveillance and mind control.

‘I am not here to be politically correct. I’m unapologetically Australian,’ Lieu wrote. 

‘I’m blunt, and I’m direct. I also hold very strong opinions, I didn’t give up my life in the corporate world to hide behind another ‘professional’ façade. So if you can handle that, please read on.’

Her last post in April 2025 titled ‘Help Me in My Fight Against Tyranny’ accused governments of using ‘mind control’ to ‘enslave us’.

The couple appeared before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday via a bedside hearing while they undergo medical treatment following their arrest.

They did not apply for bail and were remanded in custody until May 3, 2027.

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A Sydney mother whose cruise-ship romance became a viral sensation has faced a wave of online anger after a TikTok investigator alleged she had secretly travelled to Europe to reunite with the man at the centre of her heartbreak.

Sammi has confirmed to the Daily Mail that she did see Liam McAuley in Italy, but says the circumstances were very different from the version being circulated by critics online.

The 44-year-old mother of one first drew widespread attention after meeting 41-year-old British tourist Liam during a nine-day cruise from Sydney to the Whitsundays in August. She shared details of their fast-moving romance with thousands of TikTok followers.

Sammi affectionately nicknamed the charming Brit “Mr UK” after he took her on lavish dates and introduced her to his mother. Their connection led viewers to believe she had found her long-awaited Prince Charming after more than 15 years without a serious relationship.

The apparent fairytale ended abruptly when Sammi revealed through tears that their relationship was over. She said the news came after she received a message from Mr McAuley’s fiancée, who had reportedly been with him for eight years.

Her emotional posts quickly spread across social media, prompting women around the world to support the devastated single mother and encourage her to keep believing in love.

However, that support turned to frustration when new TikTok claims suggested Sammi had secretly revived the relationship and travelled to Italy earlier this month to see Mr McAuley.

The allegations sparked a fierce backlash against the woman many followers had previously defended. Sammi says the hostility became so intense that she had to withdraw from social media and take steps to protect her safety.

“I had to close my TikTok account because of the number of threats,” she told the Daily Mail from Italy last week. “I have been devastated by how angry people have become.”

Sammi did not dispute that she met Mr McAuley in Italy, but firmly rejected the suggestion that the pair had arranged a romantic reunion.

“My passport was stolen on the first day, which was horrific,” she said. “Liam saw my TikTok post about it and got on a plane. It’s only a two-hour flight, and he called to tell me he was in Rome.”

“To say I was relieved is an understatement. After everything I had been through with [my son] Jett’s cancer, what happened on the cruise and then being alone in a foreign country without identification, it was not a good start.”

Sammi described the unexpected meeting as practical help during a crisis, not an attempt to restart their relationship, and strongly denied that the two had rekindled their romance.

“He stayed for two nights, helped me organise everything and obtain a new passport, then returned home,” she said.

“I travelled to Italy alone, and I will be leaving alone.”

Before meeting Mr McAuley, Sammi had put her personal life on hold for years after her son Jett was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Her time was focused on hospital visits, specialist consultations and his ongoing treatment.

When he finally received the all-clear after years of surgery and treatment, she decided it was time to put herself ‘back out there’. 

But a string of disastrous dates, including one with a man who died before they could meet again, had almost convinced her to give up on love altogether.

That changed in August when Sammi joined Jett, 18, and his girlfriend’s family on a nine-day cruise and caught sight of a handsome stranger across the bar.

‘I was all dressed in my Carla Zampatti gown for an elegant evening, had done my psychic reading and was like, “Girl, this is it”,’ she said.

‘I went to the nightclub by myself and that’s when I saw “Mr UK” and I was like, “Who the heck is that?”

‘He was 6’1 [185cm] and so handsome. We chatted, he was funny, he had banter, we danced, and oh boy, could he dance and that British accent. He took my breath away.’

The night ended with a kiss and the pair quickly became inseparable.

‘He merged with my big family, I merged with his big family and the funniest thing is people actually thought we had been married for years,’ she said.

‘We just clicked, like really clicked, and it changed my world.’

During the trip, Sammi decided to continue posting TikToks about her dating experience.

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She poured her heart out as thousands of people started following along for the next instalment.

‘I was having the best time, but I was being realistic because I knew this man lived on the other side of the world,’ she said.

‘As I was posting about him I could see some comments saying he was love bombing me and that he probably had a wife at home.

‘But one of the first things I asked him was if he was married, if he was single – and he said he was.

‘Plus I had met his mum too and she was just so lovely to me, I knew there couldn’t be anything to worry about.’

After the trip ended and Mr McAuley headed to the airport to fly home, Sammi realised she was falling in love.

‘I thought I would be OK but I wasn’t. I cried and cried. We spent 18 hours together every day for nine days so it’s kind of like dating someone for six months,’ she said.

‘We promised to meet in Italy for the next school holidays and I was excited about that but as I was driving home, he messaged me to come back to the airport because he had extended his stay by another week.

‘And that was it, I was no longer single and falling in love. Of course, I had to fall in love with a guy who lives in the UK but I had never met anyone like him, he was witty, flirtatious and so unbelievably kind.’

Then, on the day Mr McAuley was due to leave Australia, Sammi woke up to frantic messages from a friend telling her to check her TikTok.

‘My videos had blown up and there were hundreds of comments from people saying that Liam was in an eight-year relationship with his fiancée back in the UK,’ she said.

Sammi said while she didn’t want to believe what she was reading, his long-term fiancée was among those who had commented.

‘Hi, I am Liam, AKA Mr UK’s fiancée of eight years. I’m not one to publicly post, but I’ve been left no choice, happy for you to message me,’ the comment read.

Sammi immediately confronted him.

‘I woke Liam up and at first he denied it but then he told me it was true but complicated. I told him to pack his things and go.

‘He was already leaving that day anyway so I drove him to the train station in silence. He kissed me and said, “I have never loved anyone as much as I loved you”, and he left.

‘My heart wanted it to work but my brain knew it couldn’t and I felt terrible for his fiancée. No one deserves that.’

At the time Mr McAuley, then back in the UK, told the Daily Mail he had handled the situation badly but wasn’t ready to give up on his holiday romance.

‘Sammi knows how sorry I am for how it all ended and we both know what we feel is real,’ he said.

‘It will take some work to get back to where we were.

‘I’m also sorry for hurting [my fiancée], even if in my head it had been over for a while.

‘Sammi changed my view on what happiness can be like and I have to live with the fact I ruined it.

‘I’m not sure what the future holds but I’m along for the ride.’

Despite the heartbreak, Sammi had vowed to go ahead with the Italian holiday she and Mr McAuley had originally planned together, insisting she would be travelling alone.

‘It’s going on my own Eat Pray Love tour to find me and you are coming with me,’ she previously told her followers.

But what was supposed to be a fresh start has instead ended with Sammi shutting down the TikTok account that made her an internet sensation.

‘No one will believe me and the threats against my life were overwhelming,’ she said.

‘I’m hoping now my TikTok is closed, I can go back to a quiet life.

‘It’s so sad because my page started just to share how hard it is to find love and then to share a love story.’

A police raid on a wealthy millennial couple’s $27 million Sydney mansion was bound to become a talking point across the city’s eastern suburbs.

Yet the mystery surrounding the operation will remain unsolved for at least another year after the man allegedly targeted by detectives was found unfit to stand trial.

Businessman Marios Alexandridis, who is accused of supplying cocaine on a commercial scale, has been judged incapable of facing trial—a ruling that could delay the criminal case for up to 12 months.

The 48-year-old was allegedly the focus of the investigation when heavily armed organised crime detectives stormed the Bellevue Hill residence of former television producer Stephanie Jandegian and her entrepreneur husband, Garrett, on February 6 last year.

In the dramatic early-morning operation, officers searched the couple’s palatial home and seized a mobile phone and documents, although neither Stephanie nor Garrett was arrested.

The couple have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Now, more than 20 months after the raid, the case against Alexandridis has veered in an unexpected direction.

The proceedings suffered a major setback on Thursday when the NSW District Court ruled that Alexandridis is currently unable to be tried.

Court records from Thursday’s hearing say Alexandridis is unfit to stand trial but could regain that capacity within 12 months.

The decision leaves prosecutors with an uncertain way forward, with no assurance that Alexandridis will become fit to face trial during that period.

As a result, the allegations at the heart of the investigation may not be examined in a conventional criminal trial in the near future.

Alexandridis has previously been described in court by his barrister as living with schizophrenia. His lawyer said the condition had also affected his recently deceased brother.

His capacity to stand trial was assessed by medical experts engaged by both the defence and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

At an earlier hearing, a defence doctor concluded that Alexandridis was unfit. The prosecution’s doctor reached a qualified finding of unfitness but said the possibility that he was “malingering” could not be excluded.

The businessman, who is married to 27-year-old model Monique Belovukovic, has taken part in court proceedings via an audio-visual link from the couple’s $4 million home in Mosman.

During one appearance, he was seen making the sign of the cross, closing his eyes, tilting his head back and breathing deeply.

When the hearing was adjourned, he placed his hand over his heart before bringing his palms together in what appeared to be a prayerful gesture. 

Alexandridis is accused of commercially supplying cocaine in relation to 794.6g of the drug allegedly found at an Elizabeth Bay cafe on the day police carried out the raids.

He was arrested in Mosman as part of a series of dawn operations by the NSW Police Force’s Strike Force Raptor.

The search of the Jandegians’ Bellevue Hill mansion was conducted under a warrant obtained by Strike Force Candice, which was established to investigate unexplained wealth and suspected money laundering.

The operation involved the NSW Crime Commission and the NSW Organised Crime Squad.

Alexandridis was initially charged with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime with intent to conceal, in relation to $1million in Australian currency allegedly handled in NSW between October 2024 and January last year.

He was released on bail eight days after his arrest, after three acceptable persons agreed to forfeit a combined $4million if he failed to comply with his bail conditions.

Those conditions are stringent.

Alexandridis must remain at the Mosman property except for police reporting, legal appointments or medical visits. If he leaves, he must be accompanied by Ms Belovukovic and he is prohibited from possessing a smartphone.

He previously breached two conditions, prompting prosecutors to seek to have his bail revoked.

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At a subsequent hearing, the Crown alleged Alexandridis’s DNA was on a packet containing the cocaine and that phone evidence linked him to drug supply.

Prosecutors also alleged he had been involved in ‘serious and sophisticated money laundering’, citing recordings of discussions with real estate agents, an accountant and a business partner about the sale of a Bondi property.

The court was told he had subsequently opened a term deposit account, bought gold and traded in cryptocurrency.

His barrister, James Moore, argued that Alexandridis’s mental health had stabilised after doctors increased some of his medication.

Mr Moore also emphasised the support provided by Ms Belovukovic, with whom Alexandridis has four children.

He told the court deadlocks had been installed in the couple’s home and the bail conditions written down throughout the property to help ensure they were followed.

‘This has been a wake-up call for him and he’s petrified about the prospect of going back into custody,’ Mr Moore said.

Judge Kenneth Averre ultimately refused to revoke Alexandridis’s bail, although he said the businessman had ‘come very close’ to being sent back to prison.

‘I might observe that perhaps without that support it may have been a very different result today,’ the judge said of Ms Belovukovic’s role.

The latest ruling is a fresh complication for a case that began with a high-profile police operation in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and has since expanded to include separate proceeds-of-crime proceedings brought by the NSW Crime Commission.

For the Jandegians, the raid thrust their private lives into an investigation into alleged criminal activity, despite neither being arrested or accused of wrongdoing.

The couple have previously said their lavish lifestyle is bankrolled by Mr Jandegian’s family, which they claim made its fortune in the Texas oilfields.

Originally from San Francisco, Mr Jandegian co-founded canned alkaline spring water company Aqualove in 2017 and remains a director of medical supplies supplier Pharma Soul.

Mrs Jandegian, a former Nine journalist who rose to become Sydney bureau chief at A Current Affair, works as Pharma Soul’s sales manager and sits on the NSW advisory board of the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

One of the Jandegians’ other luxury homes has reportedly been snapped up by hedge fund manager and Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union president David Allen and his wife Peta, according to the Australian Financial Review.

The Beresford Road sale was the suburb’s second-highest property deal of 2026 to date, although the price fell short of the $37million initially sought when the five-bedroom, six-bathroom residence hit property listings in August.

The four-storey mansion boasts an entire level dedicated to health and wellness, complete with a fitness studio, sauna, ice bath, swimming pool and spa.

The Jandegians, meanwhile, retain their nearby Bellevue Hill mansion on Kambala Road, which they purchased for $26million in 2022 and where police carried out the dramatic dawn raid in February last year.

For now, the central question surrounding the raid remains unanswered in court.

Back in July, when Alexandridis was previously before the court, the Mail contacted Stephanie by phone to see whether she finally had anything to say about the matter.

We told Stephanie that, given the circumstances of Alexandridis’ arrest, including the execution of the search warrant at her home that morning, she and Garrett would likely continue to feature in any coverage, and that it therefore seemed fair to ask again whether she wished to comment.

After all, Alexandridis was the target of the operation, and it remains unclear what, if any, association she or her husband had with him. These are the sorts of questions that can linger in the eastern suburbs.

‘It probably makes more sense to you,’ replied Stephanie.

‘And you probably realise that this has absolutely nothing to do with us since you’ve been following it. That’s the only comment I can make… Thank you very much for the call though. If you’d like to send me an email, you’re more than welcome to.’

We took her up on the offer and sent an email, but it bounced back. When we texted her to clarify the spelling of the address, we received no response.

After Thursday’s matter concluded with Alexandridis being found unfit to be tried, the Mail attempted to contact Garrett for comment. We left a voicemail message and he did not respond.