Hemsby residents on eroded coast preparing for demolition

Residents living in four homes along a stretch of road that partially collapsed into the sea have been told their properties may have to be demolished.

Dunes in Hemsby, Norfolk, were washed away last week, undermining part of The Marrams where five houses have already been torn down.

Surveyors were due to inspect the clifftop homes on Tuesday.

Residents have been sent letters saying demolition may have to be considered.

Last week's strong winds and high tide caused a 200-metre (650ft) stretch of road to collapse on to the beach, bringing down power lines and cutting off access to about 35 homes.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has sent letters to some residents saying their properties have been assessed "as being at extremely high risk of collapse should the land be compromised further".

It said now that road access had been lost, emergency services would be unable to get to the properties and advised residents against staying in them overnight "as further cliff falls are now imminent".

Residents have been advised to "move infrastructure" such as septic and oil tanks, and fencing, that might fall on to the beach.

A drop-in session is being held locally to advise those affected on their housing options.

They include "voluntary demolition... before the property becomes immediately dangerous", the council said.

Kevin Jordan, 70, lives permanently in his clifftop home and received his hand-delivered letter on Monday night.

"It's saying they recommend I should move out right now - that was last night," he said.

"I don't know where I was going to go at seven o'clock at night.

"They advised me I need to empty my oil tank, empty my septic tank, I need to take all my fencing down and remove it, otherwise I'll be liable for any pollution that goes on the beach."

Mr Jordan added: "They said they'll come and demolish the place, but I'm just wondering how they're going to get their machinery in here to [do that]. There is no vehicle access."

Margaret Parish, 72, who lives in another of the four homes, said: "I've been fortunate in that I've been able to find alternative accommodation, because I saw this day coming. Well, we all saw this day coming - for very many years.

"So, I do have a roof over my head, but having said that, I'm still desperately sad and really angry to be losing this particular house, which is where I would prefer to be."

Sheila Oxtoby, chief executive of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: "There are four properties that we're really concerned about, which we think are very vulnerable."

She said the letters were "not legal notices", but the council was advising people not to stay in those homes.

A meeting is being held all day at a local cafe, at which she said residents on the affected road could get help and advice.

She said she and her colleagues would meet with a demolition company there to talk about how the homes might be dismantled, with machinery unable to access the area.

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