Acting minister of Agriculture, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner agreed with residents of Whitehill, St Andrew yesterday that they were living in danger because of land slippage and promised to see how soon they could be relocated.

"People should not be living down in there, that's my concern. Because of a lack of land space, it's a case of desperation. That land is not safe and all of them are saying they have to move," Sandiford-Garner said after residents spoke to her of their fears.

Sandiford-Garner said she would know by year-end if they can relocate families within the current financial year.

"This is the Estimates year and the government has to be very conscious about its spending and I understand that very clearly. I would also have to find out what it would cost and be very precise in my request and we go from there," the acting minister said.

Bus driver Lionel Lowe, 64 who has lived in the area for 22 years stopped Sandiford- Garner as she made her way about the district and said: "I don't want the house to go into the gully. Please see what you can do for me."

Cheryl Small, 46 who has been living with her small family in the area for six years said, "We have a very big crack behind there like it would slip away and the house is sinking because the cellar has water."

Ralph "Kamouse" Ward, who has lived in the area all his 52 years said, "When the rain falls, the water flows from Mount Hillaby and passes under my cellar. I can hear it, but I can't see it. But when I get up in the morning, around the house is wet. The water comes down like a river."

Sandiford-Garner said that some of the residents had already moved out with the assistance from MP for the area George Payne under the Barbados Labour Party administration, while with others the assistance was not so forthcoming after waiting for more than a decade.

"This is now ten years and (other people) have not been moved and that concerns me because what is going to happen when there is a catastrophe? It is a liability to this government. . . People are under threat."