Hemsby beach loss prompts fresh calls for sea defences

Funding needed for sea defences for a village threatened by coastal erosion will continue to be sought, a council has said.

Another 3m to 4m (10-13ft) of beach has been lost to sea at Hemsby, Norfolk.

A licence has been granted for a permanent defence but Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) said it did not have the £15m needed.

The Environment Agency said a flood defence grant was available to the council.

Hemsby is on a vulnerable stretch of coastline, where five homes had to be demolished earlier this year.

A metre of cliff fell into the sea last week.

GYBC secured emergency funding for a temporary solution in March, and said it continued to try to "secure funding for a more significant project".

Carl Smith, Conservative leader of GYBC, said: "We have got the permissions but we haven't got that £15m so it's a matter of having dialogue with these agencies to get funding.

"Hemsby is vital to the economy of Great Yarmouth and the tourism here, it's got a vibrant tourism economy that we want to protect."

He said the criteria for funding was "about protecting homes and lives".

People can only enjoy part of the beach while work continues to make it safe

Coxswain Daniel Hurd said his lifeboat team - which is independent of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - had been working "non-stop" to try to get the beach open again.

He said he "dreaded to think what is going to happen this winter" and that a more permanent solution needed to be put in place "as soon as possible".

Mr Hurd added that the EA and the council needed to "get together and get this money and get this sorted now".

Local business owner Lorna Bevan is urging the government to take action and is worried holidaymakers will be put off from coming.

"We provide a vibrant economy to the whole area yet the government is not prepared to save it by protecting this beach, which is the main focus of tourism," Ms Bevan said.

"Without a beach, why are people coming on a beach holiday?"

The Environment Agency (EA) said it understood how "distressing" the situation was for residents and that it continued to provide guidance to local authorities, which lead on planning and managing coastal erosion.

A spokesperson said: "Government Flood Defence Grant in Aid is available to Great Yarmouth Borough Council as the Risk Management Authority (RMAs) to fund or part fund flood and coast erosion risk management schemes.

"To apply for funding RMAs need to submit a business case to the Environment Agency showing how the project will work, that it will last, that it is able to be delivered and is environmentally acceptable."

Parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland were battered by Storm Antoni, which brought heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms between Friday and Saturday.

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