Woman fears for clifftop home as winds batter coast

A woman who lost her cliff-edge bungalow to a tidal surge said she feared for her new home after it was battered by strong winds.

The Met Office issued a warning about "unseasonably" strong winds of up 50mph (80km/h) in north and east Norfolk and east Suffolk on Monday morning.

They caused power cuts in some villages near North Walsham, and has delayed the departure of a tall ship from Great Yarmouth.

Bryony Nierop-Reading, whose previous home in Happisburgh, Norfolk, was demolished in 2013, said: "I've suffered from the sea, but not by a wind like this before. It just hurled everything around."

She described hearing a "terrific blast of wind and a crash" as she lay in bed in her current home in the village, about 20m (65ft) from the cliff.

"The wind had blown one of my bathroom windows open and knocked all the plants over on to the floor," she said.

"I was battling to get it shut and then I noticed my sun lounge outside was blowing about.

"It had ripped the door off and blown the window out and the chicken house was being lifted up and down and it's got chickens in it."

Eleven years ago, she and her cat had moved to safety on the night a third of her bungalow was left teetering over the cliff edge. It was knocked down a week later.

"I expected to live here safely to the end of my life but the wind and the sea combined are endangering this house now, and the council has said they may want to demolish this one and the one next door, before Christmas," she said.

"We hope not, but it's imminent.

"It's never been this bad at this time of year. It's just worry, all the time."

She said 10m (32ft) of nearby cliff had been lost in the past 18 months, with the village setting up a Save Happisburgh group to push for rock coastal defences.

Elswhere, homes affected by power cuts had the service restored by mid morning.

The Spanish tall ship Galeón Andalucía, which has been visiting Great Yarmouth, postpone its departure to Tuesday because of the weather.

The Met Office said the winds could disrupt some travel, with delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes.

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