Diy job gone wrong?????

Did you not read the sub head? :

"THIS is the dramatic moment a home worth nearly half a million pounds was torn in half and reduced to rubble - *just weeks after builders moved in*."

and later the quote from Michael Kennedy : "I do know that home was having some work done over the weekend, including some demolition work, taking out walls, but we would just be speculating"

Got that bit right then.

No its Mr Beans latest project I'd imagine. Brian

Walls have ears and make Sausages and Ice Cream. Brian

Looks like double brick walls holding the roof up. Lucky you don't get many earthquakes or hurricanes or earth movement!

The BBC report has a 'before' picture (from google streetview)

Looks to me by the size of the girders that the house was built or modified to be very open plan.

My theory is someone opened a wall right under a girder support pad without thinking/realising.

Once one fell out, as can be seen in the Express piccies) enough other crap fell down to take out most of the end walls.

The mortar does not seem well attached to the bricks. I wonder if the cement used in the original construction was up to spec.

Building construction doesn't (or at least, shouldn't) rely on mortar to 'glue' bricks together. Actually, it would be more accurate to say the mortar keeps the bricks apart - keeping them stable under the influence of gravity.