Subsidence can be caused by several different factors. For example, moisture content within soil and clay can be drastically reduced during long dry spells during the summer. Trees and other plants can absorb any remaining water content resulting in the shrinkage of the ground. Another problem that can cause subsidence can be due to damaged drainage. If the drains around your property are leaking, they can in turn, wash away the ground beneath your property. Even more so if the ground contains a high level of gravel or sand content within the soil. At the first sign of a crack you should not immediately be panicking that your property is suffering from subsidence. It is pretty common to discover fine cracks on plastered walls in new builds. This is due to the building bedding in and settling on its own weight. However, if you discover diagonal cracks that are wider toward the top end then this could be one of the signs of subsidence. Generally, if the cracks are thinner than the side of a 10 pence piece, or 3mm thick then there is usually nothing to worry about.
