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Coastguard warns of cliff danger after Pakefield road collapse

LN Drone Photography Aerial view pf part of the Pakefield holiday parkLN Drone Photography
An aerial view shows empty plots and how close others are the cliff edge

People are being warned to keep away from "very unstable" cliffs after a road partially collapsed on Friday.

High tides and wind caused the collapse at Pakefield Holiday Park in Lowestoft, Suffolk, with homes being evacuated and moved to other parts of the site.

The erosion also revealed a suspected bomb which, following a controlled explosion, was found to be a World War Two minesweeping marker.

The coastguard said the cliff areas were "extremely dangerous".

The old minesweeping marker was made safe using a controlled explosion

"The beach at the bottom of the steps at Arbor Lane has now mostly washed away. There is now a drop on to what's left of the beach."

HM Coastguard Lowestoft World War Two minesweeping markerHM Coastguard Lowestoft
A suspected bomb was found to be a World War Two minesweeping marker

The coastguard reiterated its warning, writing on Facebook: "Please do not walk next to our very unstable and sandy cliffs.

"Please enjoy our beaches safely and stay away from the base of any cliffs. They can be extremely dangerous. Please also avoid using any cordoned off areas. The local councils are doing all they can.

"There is going to be a lot of debris on the beaches and along the shoreline. Please ensure you, your families or you dogs and horses do not end up injured by this debris."

HM Coastguard Lowestoft Erosion of a cliff at Arbor Lane, PakefieldHM Coastguard Lowestoft
Erosion of the sandy cliff caused fencing to fall down and left some caravans perilously close to the edge
Guy Campbell/BBC Mark ShermanGuy Campbell/BBC
Mark Sherman has a home at the park and said he fears for the future of the area

Surveying the scene, Mark Sherman, who has a home at the park, said: "All we had was one strong wind and that's caused absolute havoc, so as it goes, we've got winter coming, we've got big tides in February and March coming.

"A week of northerlies [winds] and that would wipe that out [the cliff edge] without a doubt."

He said he estimated "about 13ft (4m)" of cliff had been lost in the recent storm.

"It will just keep caving and caving," he added.

HM Coastguard Lowstoft Part of the collapsed road at Arbor LaneHM Coastguard Lowstoft
Erosion caused a road to partially collapse
HM Coastguard Lowestoft Empty lots at holiday park in PakefieldHM Coastguard Lowestoft
Caravans close to the edge were moved away

Peter Byatt, the East Suffolk Labour councillor for Pakefield, also warned of the dangers, saying: "Unfortunately we have had members of the public who've been climbing up and down the cliffs, which is not helpful - you couldn't make it up."

LN DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY Aerial view pf part of the Pakefield holiday parkLN DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
Park homes had to be moved to a different location

He said a team from the council had fenced off the steps to the beach near the holiday park and a section of cliffs further along the coast.

Mr Byatt added: "There's been a report that some plastic fence posts, which are quite heavy resin ones have gone into the water as well and may well be floating around and presenting a hazard to local shipping."

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