Demolition of two dangerous clifftop homes in Hemsby

• Two cottages in Norfolk close to the brink of the cliff are being demolished.
• Survivors describe it as “soul destroying” and “brutal”.
• Great Yarmouth Borough Council is transporting 1,900 tons of stone to protect the only access road.

Because the sandy cliffs beneath them eroded, two cottages in Norfolk close to the brink of the cliff are being demolished today in Hemsby.

The Marrams in Hemsby’s chalets had already been vacated by the residents.

Several of the homes are in danger of collapsing since they are less than one meter (3.2 feet) from the cliff’s edge.

Following the loss of numerous outbuildings to the sea at high tide on Friday night, one house was demolished on Saturday.

Nicolette, a passerby who witnessed the demolition of the second of the three homes, called it “brutal” and said it was a “emotional event” to witness.

She said: “People lived there, they enjoyed their times there and to see what coastal erosion is doing to not only the nature, the environment, but people’s lives is really sad.”

Trevor, who was with her, added: “I guess these people have seen it coming slowly for a number of years but it’s happened so much quicker than people ever expected.”

Sue, whose property was the first to be demolished, described it as “soul destroying”.

Before the demolition crews arrived, she and her neighbors quickly spent Saturday morning packing away their valuables.

Sue expressed her desire for more to have been done to save the house she had lived in for three years.

“We have some very pleasant memories there because it has lovely energy and lovely atmosphere,” she stated as she watched her house be torn down while holding her head in her hands.

In the direction of Winterton-on-Sea, demolition work is being done on the north side of Hemsby Gap.

The crew of the lifeboat enters the beach through the gap, a break in the dunes.

The crew of the lifeboat enters the beach through the gap, a break in the dunes.

As her house was being destroyed, Mary Withey was not present.

She said on Saturday she and her partner “had got what we can” before the teams moved in.

“I’m not OK with it, it’s been my home, I don’t want to move… it’s very sad,” said Ms Withey, who has lived in her house for four years,

It was “very sad” for all involved, according to Jane Beck, head of property and asset management at Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

“We’re trying to do everything we possibly can to help them through that process,” Ms. Beck said.

She went on to say that people should avoid the Hemsby beach and its surroundings for their own safety.

Also blocked off and anticipated to collapse is the only access road to residences on the Marrams.

Sheila Oxtoby, the chief executive of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, stated that the organisation was looking to transport some stones onto the shore as a “temporary solution” to guard the road access to a number of other houses.

It’s believed that 1,900 tons of stone will arrive on Wednesday.

Coxswain of Hemsby lifeboat Daniel Hurd, though, asserted that a quicker resolution to the current predicament was possible.

He said: “I just think it’s absolutely ridiculous, this has been an emergency for years and it’s taken this weekend for them to see it’s an emergency to then get a rock berm put on the beach.”

But the council said it was a “real minefield of making sure that what local government and the authorities do is the correct line of procedure”.

There are roughly 3,000 people living in Hemsby, which is close to Great Yarmouth and was previously the site of a Pontins summer camp.

In March 2018, sand cliffs near The Marrams washed away, destroying seven bungalows, and in December 2013, “the biggest storm surge in 60 years” damaged seven residences.

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