Terrified residents evacuated amid fears ‘storm surge’ caused by 50mph winds and high tides could send their cliff-edge homes toppling into the sea
- At least five people were told to evacuate their at-risk homes in Hemsby, Norfolk
- Coastal village, home to around 3,000, has suffered from erosion in recent years
- Retired Grenadier Guardsman Lance Martin is among those to be evacuated
Terrified residents were forced to pack up their belongings and possibly leave their cliff-edge homes for good amid fears their houses could plunge into the sea during an overnight storm surge.
At least five people were told to leave their at-risk homes in Hemsby, Norfolk, as surging 50mph winds and a high tide of 3.7m threatened to undermine their properties perching on a small sand cliff.
The coastal village, which is home to around 3,000 people, has suffered from severe coastal erosion in recent years with many properties abandoned as the cliffs continue to slip away. In fact, it is the second time the coastline has been under threat in less than two weeks.
Coastguard workers helped residents desperately flee their homes as they were forced to watch patio slabs in some of their gardens slip away into the sea.
Among those evacuated was retired Grenadier Guardsman Lance Martin, 65, who in 2018 moved his £95,000 detached property back 10.5m from the cliff edge to stop it from toppling into the sea.
Terrified residents were forced to leave their cliff-edge homes in Hemsby, Norfolk, after a storm surge
At least five people fled their homes as a high tide took chunks out of the sea bank their houses sit on
Among the homes threatened is that of retired Grenadier Guardsman Lance Martin (pictured), 65, who has so far refused to abandon his cliff-edge property
When he bought the house in 2017, he was told by an environmental impact study that he would have 30-40 years before the cliff edge reached his house, until the Beast from the East storm ate 30 metres from his back garden in 2018.
The defiant former soldier, who has until this point refused to abandon his clifftop home, has gone to stay in Lowestoft as he waits for the storm to clear.
Pictures of his property show angry waves swilling around his back garden, which is now only a few metres deep. Mr Martin’s road, The Marrams, at the edge of the cliff is now at risk of being eroded underneath by the tide.
READ MORE: Britain’s crumbling coast: Pilot’s stark aerial images reveal how communities are being slowly lost to the sea
Several residents moved all their belongings out of their homes on Thursday night and were taken to a village hall, while some now risk being permanently rehomed.
A disabled man was also among those who were asked to evacuate. Kevin Jordan, 69, was evacuated at 8pm from his chalet bungalow.
He uses a walking stick to get around having suffers from mobility problems with his feet and spine. He is concerned he will have to walk down dirt paths to get to his house again if the road collapses.
Mr Jordan bought his house as a sanctuary for himself 11 years ago after his son and partner died.
Back then the detached house which is on the west side of The Marrams road overlooked huge rolling dunes. Now it overlooks a steep drop to the beach.
He is one of only two or three residents who live permanently at the end of the road, the rest serving as holiday homes.
The road belongs to a charity but according to Mr Jordan the organisation has had ‘no interest’ in doing anything about the road erosion, despite the residents each paying several hundred pounds a year in maintenance fees.
Coastguards revealed that the cliff erosion had created a new 10ft drop into the sea from the beach which means the local lifeboat can no longer be launched.
On Friday morning, coastguards were deployed at around 6.30am anxiously awaiting the next high tide which was due at 9am.
Dan Hurd, 41, is Hemsby lifeboat’s coxswain who was out last night and this morning monitoring the situation.
Properties in Hemsby have been very much at risk in recent years with many properties abandoned as the cliffs continue to slip away
Coastguard workers helped residents desperately flee their homes as they were forced to watch patio slabs in some of their gardens slip away into the sea
‘It’s a bloody mess down there right now. If you see the sea right now you wouldn’t believe it,’ he said.
‘A lot of people are upset, they had to get out of their properties last night and some left their belongings, fully furnished houses, food in the cupboard, all there.
‘One refused to leave but we managed to persuade them to go into a hotel.
‘I think it’s disgusting that the government haven’t signed off on measures that could help prevent this.’
Just last week, aerial photographer Mike Page, 83, from Norfolk, shared images exclusively with MailOnline that show just how much the British coast – including Hemsby – has eroded in the past half-century.
A recent report by climate group One Home estimated that coastal homes in England worth a total of £584million could be lost to cliff collapses by 2100.
Mr Hurd fears this road will need to be closed off permanently if the next tide eats away more sand from under the tarmac. This would mean at least seven residents at the end of that road would need to be permanently rehomed.
Their houses would be condemned according to Mr Hurd because the road was their last access point and emergency services would no longer be able to get to them.
According to coastguards a new 10ft drop has formed from the high tide last night, meaning the lifeboat can no longer be safely launched out to sea
A telegraph pole also fell into the sea last night, which had been disconnected two weeks ago when the last storm hit.
Mr Hurd added that if the weather continued to erode this patch of coast, the lifeboat and crew would need to permanently relocate further up the coast.
Hemsby residents have been fighting to get a rock berm in place in a bid to help stop the erosion even further.
The planning permission was due to come through a year ago, but the government’s Marine Management Organisation has yet to sign off on the plans.
One of those is Ian Brennan, chairman of Save Hemsby Coastline. ‘We’re pleased with the Hemsby Parish Council response to open the village hall to evacuees last night- they are environmental refugees now,’ he said.
Hemsby is largely built on sand which provides little protection against the raging sea, as pictured here in January 2007
Sixteen years later, on March 1, 2023, any remaining grass was long gone and some of the homes had sand up to their front door
A recent report by climate group One Home estimated that coastal homes worth £584million could fall into the sea by 2100 as a result of coastal erosion
‘It’s good they have a plan and can help people at risk, but the best plan is to not be at risk in the first place and stop houses falling over the cliff edge.
‘I feel very let down by Great Yarmouth Borough Council. There’s lots of talk but still no planning permission for the rock berm.’
Mr Brennan said that ‘a landslide is inevitable’ after the extreme high tides suffered on Thursday night.
Great Yarmouth Council said building control experts were considering if and how quickly any properties might need to be demolished, with surveys set to take place over the next two days.
A spokesman also said granite rock could be placed in front of the dunes as a ‘short-term interim option’ to provide urgent support to the ‘main access road for 62 properties’.
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