A FAMILY were stunned when a huge crack opened up in the floor of their living room.

Pensioner Gladys Smith was sitting with her daughters, Sue George and Maureen Williamson, and grandchildren Joanne and Nicki George when they heard the floorboards creak beneath them.

Seconds later, the floor split open and sagged, sending furniture and ornaments crashing towards the cellar beneath.

Sue managed to escape from the room, but the other four women were left unable to move because a large cabinet, which had partly toppled over, was threatening to fall completely flat, causing the floor to collapse further.

Fire crews were called to the 100-year-old terraced house in John Street, Ilkeston, at 4.30pm on Monday.

Mrs Smith and Mrs Williamson were taken to the Royal Derby Hospital for observations.

Mrs Williamson was discharged from hospital a few hours later.

But Mrs Smith, 84, who was hit with the falling cabinet, causing a gash to her forehead, was kept in until yesterday.

Her husband, Donald, 75, was in the kitchen when the drama happened.

He said: "I heard them shouting for help. So I went through towards the living room and I saw my missus was more or less clinging on to the sofa with her legs dangling in the cellar.

"I rang the fire brigade and they came in about five minutes. They were absolutely brilliant."

Fire crews painstakingly helped the women free by carefully lifting them up, while trying not to disturb the balancing furniture.

Nicki, 20, said she was leaning in to give her grandma a kiss when the floor collapsed.

She said: "I thought at first the chair had broken. It all happened so quickly.

"All we heard was a bit of creaking – no one dared to move. We were all in shock."

Mr Smith contacted the insurance company Royal and Sun Alliance, but was told it would not pay out until the cause of the collapse was known.

He said: "It's just one of those things. We think the joists from the cellar underneath broke in half – even though we only got new flooring five years ago.

"The insurance company told us we probably wouldn't be covered as we didn't have accidental damage policy.

"Until we know exactly why the floor collapsed, we don't know whether we can claim.

"We have no idea how much it will cost us if we aren't covered."

With the help of a builder, the family started clearing out the living room yesterday after the fire service said it was safe to do so.

Officers from Erewash Borough Council also visited the house to check the house was structurally safe. A gas worker also went round to switch off the mains.

Mr Smith said: "We can laugh about it now. Everybody is safe and nobody was seriously hurt."

A spokesman for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We found the floor at a steep angle. The furniture in the room had collapsed and we had to lift four women out."

Royal and Sun Alliance did not want to comment.