Horror photo of house hanging on edge of cliff about to crash into the sea

26 October 2023 , 17:18

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House teeters on edge of sheer drop in Hemsby (Image: SWNS)

A house has been left perching on a cliff edge after a scheme to prevent coastal erosion was scrapped.

Almost 100 homes have edged nearer the sea for decades in the Norfolk village of Hemsby, but owners now claim that the situation is at crisis point. Latest drone pictures show how close another home is from tumbling into the sea, with all hopes for a reprieve now seemingly scrapped by the Government.

Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, Sir Brandon Lewis, along with local authorities, say Hemsby does not qualify for “sufficient government funding” to allow sea defences to progress. It is thought the original proposed sum of £15million for the project, which was granted planning permission, has risen to about £20m due to inflation.

Work to reduce cliff erosion on the Norfolk coast (SWNS)

Residents now feared more homes will be lost in storm surges predicted over the coming days. Lance Martin, 65 – a neighbour of the house photographed – pulled his home back from the cliff edge in 2018 after he lost 40 metres of his back garden to erosion. The retiree said: “The overwhelming feeling amongst the neighbours is one of despair. I keep a smile on my face.

“I haven’t broken down yet. I crack on with it - there’s nobody to blame, you just have to accept it and move on.” Ian Brennan, 63, chair of Save Hemsby Coastline, has been campaigning for 10 years to ensure the future of residents at risk. He said: “Hemsby is suffering. Seeing what has happened and knowing if nothing is done it is going to happen to you must be a terrifying prospect.

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“The authorities know what needs to be done. It’s only political will, the inaction of the landowners and the absence of funding that makes their loss pretty inevitable. The last study showed that 92 homes are at risk if nothing is done. How much does Hemsby need to bleed before something is done?”

A 1.3km concrete berm has been granted planning permission – known as being “shovel ready”. However it needs £15m in order to be put in place to try to protect the cliff. In March, five nearby homes were demolished, and another was pulled back from the cliff edge. About 2,000 tonnes of granite was placed along an 80m section in an emergency attempt to protect the area, at a cost of £735,000. Concrete blocks have been put in place in some vulnerable parts of the coastline but residents want a full sea-defence wall.

Adam Aspinall