A partial building collapse on Townsend Lane in Anfield on July 15 has alarmed local residents, with some describing the scene as 'crazy' and expressing relief that no one was injured. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) confirmed that two fire engines and a search and rescue team attended the scene, along with Merseyside Police officers who set up a road block. Fire crews found the building partially collapsed, impacting both a ground-floor café and a first-floor residential flat.
Evacuations and immediate response
A spokesperson for MFRS told the Liverpool Echo: 'On arrival this was a partial building collapse. The premises has been evacuated, and all persons have been accounted for. The property above, as well as neighbouring properties have also been evacuated.' A hole remained in the flat's living room, while bricks from a collapsed wall filled the pavement below. The café, Jovan's Kitchen, suffered damage to its signs and will likely remain closed until the building is made safe.
A man who works near the property, situated on the corner of Townsend Lane and Empress Road, told the Echo: 'It just slowly started to come down and then it smashed against the pavement. It was crazy, I've never seen anything like that before. No one was in when it happened, thankfully.'
Cause under investigation
The exact cause of the partial collapse is yet to be determined, but a request has been submitted for an assessment by the council's structural engineers. Liverpool City Council confirmed it is in contact with the building's owner. This latest incident is not isolated; the Echo has reported several similar incidents across Liverpool in the last five years, including two in Anfield and one on the outskirts of the city centre in March 2026.
Previous incidents
Three months ago, residents and workers near the north docks launched a campaign for a renewed regeneration strategy based on 'everyday safety, inclusion and dialogue' after a partial building collapse on Regent Street, where outer brickwork from the sixth floor fell onto three parked vehicles. Photos showed bricks stacked on a crushed car and debris strewn across the road.
In October last year, Storm Amy contributed to the partial collapse of a property on the Walton Breck Road junction with Blessington Road in Anfield, affecting a Discount Booze store. Residents reported that a second property—an 'unsafe' house that had caused part of the street to be evacuated in August 2025—suffered further damage in the storm. That terraced house was found structurally unsound with a large crack causing windows and bay to sag; two people were living there at the time of evacuation.
In May 2024, a derelict barber shop on Oakfield Road, just a few hundred metres away, collapsed, covering the road with bricks. One resident told the Echo: 'I have nephews that could have been killed, they will only act on it when someone dies but, by then someone is already dead.'
In March 2023, a derelict two-storey building on St. Oswalds Street in Old Swan collapsed into rubble. MFRS attended, with a spokesperson confirming: 'Crews were met with a two-storey building with a partially collapsed gable end. A cordon was set up and search and rescue dogs were deployed to confirm there were no casualties.'
City centre concerns
In the city centre, there have been numerous reports of unsafe buildings. In September last year, emergency services responded to a four-storey property on Berry Street at the top of Bold Street after signs of 'loose rendering' were found. A piece of rendering around a metre in length fell onto the pavement, leading to a cordon and pavement closure.
Regulatory gaps and council response
The Echo understands there are no statutory inspection intervals or logs to record the current safety of property structures, but building owners owe a duty of care to maintain their properties and avoid posing a risk to the public. A Liverpool City Council spokesperson previously stated: 'We have legal powers to make buildings and structures safe and get owners to meet their obligations to keep them safe. Reports that are made to the council are responded to and assessed and if necessary action is taken on a case-by-case basis.'
Commenting on the Townsend Lane collapse, a council spokesperson confirmed that its building control team attended to inspect the damage and identify next steps. When asked whether the building was previously on the council's radar, a spokesperson said: 'We inspected the premises (on July 15) following the partial collapse of the building and have taken steps to address the immediate danger. We are engaging with the owner to bring the building into a condition where it does not pose a further risk.'
