Christchurch aftershocks: Liquefaction familiar for couple

Elizabeth and Ken Free of Goodman St, Burwood, now face their third clean-up of liquefaction muck. Photo / Geoff Sloan

Standing in the muck from liquefaction is nothing new for long-term Burwood residents Ken and Elizabeth Free.

The couple's Goodman St house, where they have lived for 31 years, was surrounded by sludge when yesterday's magnitude 6 quake struck - for a third time within months.

Their property sustained major liquefaction damage in the September and February jolts and again yesterday.

Other properties in the street have also been hard hit - several lie vacant - some subsided, others partially collapsed and now surrounded again by floods of liquefaction muck.

Mr Free said his house had subsided further, belongings had broken and cracks in the house had opened up more in yesterday's quake.

"It's bad here [in the front yard] but it's worse around the back," he said.

Now the Frees wonder whether they will be able to rebuild in the area.

"We definitely expect it [not being able to rebuild] because of the amount [of sludge] around the area. If only we knew, then we could plan. But we can't get any answers," Mr Free said.

His neighbour Maurie Holstein, 81, said it was hard for residents not knowing. "[The homes are] going to have to either be demolished or repaired, we don't know.

"If there's going to be more like that to come I don't want to be here."

Mr Holstein had just got his wife's car repaired after the last quake when items fell on it in the garage yesterday, denting it again.