Hemsby: Demolition of five clifftop homes gets under way

Dramatic photos have shown work getting under way to knock down five bungalows left teetering on an eroding clifftop.

Demolition workers moved onto the site at 06:00 GMT to tear down the first of the wooden homes in Hemsby, Norfolk.

High tides and strong winds caused the collapse of a stretch of a private access road last month.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said the houses needed to go after a survey found they were "not structurally sound and... unsafe".

It said the decision was made with the owners' permission and that the rapid erosion of the sandy cliff beneath the homes meant they were at risk of falling into the sea.

Demolition work was expected to take at least four days, with incoming tides meaning it could only be carried out for a few hours each day.

Wrecking machines were on the beach due to the loss of the access road, with material being taken off the beach by tipper truck.

The work has coincided with the 10th anniversary of five houses collapsing into the sea when storms stripped away so much sand that it affected their foundations.

Lorna Bevan, a founder of Save Hemsby Coastline, said: "It is just unbelievably sad and devastating.

"We've got a cycle of homes being lost and helping people.

"There was a solution, but nobody had the willpower to change the funding formulas that would have allowed us to have protection."

Group chairman Simon Measures said the community was "close-knit", with one homeowner - who appealed online for help moving out - amazed when 40 people arrived to his aid.

Campaigners want sea defences to be built to protect 1.3km (0.8-mile) of coastline and homes.

Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, Sir Brandon Lewis, along with local authorities, announced in October that Hemsby did not qualify for "sufficient government funding" for a £20m sea defence scheme.

Utilities firm Anglian Water also said on Tuesday it could not yet help fund a coastal defence because the project had not been fully approved.

Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, previously said: "While we have known for some considerable time that more properties were at risk from erosion, this remains an extremely difficult time for those people who are losing their homes.

"Our thoughts are with those affected and our staff have been working hard to provide support and welfare for those who need it.

"Unfortunately, continued erosion on this stretch of coastline is inevitable and we are working hard with our partners and other agencies to work out how we best adapt to the changing shape of our coast."

He also urged people to stay away from the beach for safety reasons during the demolition.

The council said it would rehouse anyone who needed it, with homeowners not expected to receive any compensation.

One couple marked leaving their home by writing emotional farewell messages across it.

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