Long stretch of coastal road falls into sea as storm batters Norfolk

A 200-metre stretch of coastal road has fallen into the sea after violent storms and high tides washed away parts of the cliffs beneath it. People are being warned to stay away from a beach at Hemsby in Norfolk after the cliff-top road collapsed into the sea and brought power lines down, leaving more than a dozen householders stranded. High tides and wind caused "significant damage", with several feet of cliff and dunes washed away on Friday.

Hemsby is on a vulnerable stretch of Norfolk coastline[1], where five homes had to be demolished earlier this year. Around 30 metres of the road along The Marrams fell into the sea at about 5pm, and there was significant damage to Hemsby Gap and the dunes to the north and south. This has created "very dangerous conditions" along the seafront, with more than a dozen homes stranded and about 20 left without water after a utility pipe was ripped out.

Hemsby Lifeboat posted on Facebook to say a 200-metre stretch of road had fallen on to the beach.

Daniel Hurd, lifeboat coxswain said: "Stay away - it's just too dangerous." Mr Hurd said erosion had led to the power cables falling, cars had been left stranded and one disabled resident was unable to move from his home due to the collapse of The Marrams. "People are unable to get to their properties; there's no water supply; it's an absolute joke," he said.

The lifeboat crew, which is independent and not part of the RNLI, was helping residents while Norfolk Police closed off some roads[2]. Its lifeboat station is set slightly back from The Gap - an area of dunes at a lower point between higher sandy cliffs. Hemsby Lifeboat added on its social media post: "The road along The Marrams to the south has also fallen into the sea, restricting access and creating very dangerous conditions.

"This has left the Gap area and dunes in a very unstable condition, and we are asking anyone visiting the beach this weekend to be extra vigilant. "If you are in the area of the Gap, please stay away from the edge and the base of the dunes, as there is a high risk of further collapse." The Lacon Arms pub has had about 12 people who live in The Marrams in this evening seeking respite.

Many have returned to their homes for the night.

Landlady Lorna Bevan told the Eastern Daily Press: "People are awfully scared, panicked, angry and sad[3]. We all feel sick and angry. We've lost a lot this week - about 12 feet - so it was already under threat.

"I am heartbroken. I found it really hard tonight to keep upbeat and not to cry in front of people. I'm devastated.

For 10 years we've been campaigning and you can see people are going to be homeless. "It is only the start of winter and this has happened. There is no security.

"Some people haven't even been able to get their vehicles away so they are essentially lost." Around four metres of the coastline was claimed by the sea during Storm Babet last month, during the same week that Hemsby found out it would not receive government funding for sea defences [4]to protect the village. In October, MP Sir Brandon Lewis, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council said the cost of the originally proposed GBP15 million sea defence scheme had become "significantly higher" because of inflation, and the village "doesn't qualify for sufficient government funding to allow it to progress".

The BBC reported that the updated figure is about GBP20 million.

References

1. ^ vulnerable stretch of Norfolk coastline (www.telegraph.co.uk)
2. ^ closed off some roads (www.telegraph.co.uk)
3. ^ scared, panicked, angry and sad (www.telegraph.co.uk)
4. ^ government funding for sea defences (www.telegraph.co.uk)