Bulldozers demolish three homes in erosion hit Norfolk village: Cliff-top properties – together with house of pensioner ‘Granny Canute’ – are knocked down earlier than they crumble into sea

Bulldozers have demolished three houses in an erosion hit Norfolk village with cliff-top properties knocked down before crumbling into the sea.

Work to remove the perilous homes in Happisburgh, Norfolk began on Tuesday and is expected to last up to two weeks subject to weather conditions.

Among them was the house of Bryony Nierop-Reading, also known as ‘Granny Canute’, a 79-year-old local who had her previous home demolished in 2013 and has consistently refused to leave her current property amid threats to destroy it.

The work is being undertaken by North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) through the Coastwise scheme, a project funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

Project bosses say they have liaised with affected home owners for several years and the houses were demolished as they were ‘at immediate risk’.

Ms Nierop-Reading first moved to the eroding coastline in 2009, previously living in a 1930s, three-bedroom bungalow which she bought for £25,000.

But the property – which was around 20ft from the sea at the time – was demolished in 2013, just two weeks before Christmas, after a tidal surge left it wrecked. 

The surge claimed around around a third of her bungalow and a week later she watched as the rest of the property was knocked down.

Work to remove homes on a cliff edge in Happisburgh, Norfolk began on Tuesday and is expected to last up to two weeks subject to weather conditions

The work is being undertaken by North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) through the Coastwise scheme

She then moved into a caravan on the land she owned, but faced a second fight for her home when the council told her the plot was not designated for residential use.

Her nickname comes from the fictional story of King Canute, the 11th century ruler of England, Denmark and Norway, who moved his throne to the seashore and commanded the tide to stop. 

Today she witnessed the demolition of her replacement home, the Old Coastguard House.

Ms Nierop-Reading moved into a static caravan lifted into her back garden using an 80 tonne crane last year, which she will continue to live in.

She said: ‘It has been a long, ongoing process which has made it more difficult because it has just dragged on and on.’

Her neighbour Nicola Bayless’s house is also being demolished over the next few days.

The property at Beacon House has been her family home for the last 26 years, with her parents first buying it in 2000 before she moved in in 2016.

Ms Bayless described the removal of her house as ‘heart-breaking’.

Her late parents, Anita and Arthur Richmond, originally bought the home in 2001 when it was over 670ft (200m) away from the cliff’s edge.

Rob Goodliffe, coastal manager at NNDC, said: ‘It is a sad day for everybody.

‘It is not something anybody wants to see but hopefully it has provided the owners of these properties to be able to move on in their different ways.’

Last year, after discovering her home was under threat, Ms Nierop-Reading said: ‘I won’t leave the edge because I want to go on campaigning to save the village and the lighthouse and the pub, but if you live further from the cliff edge you stop caring.

‘It keeps my mind focused when you can see it disappearing.

Among them was the house of Bryony Nierop-Reading, pictured, also known as ‘Granny Canute’, a 79-year-old local who had her previous home demolished in 2013

Her neighbour Nicola Bayless’s house is also being demolished over the next few days (Pictured: Ms Bayless outside her home)

Families watch on as the properties are knocked down. Project bosses say they have liaised with affected home owners for several years

‘If we don’t campaign for Happisburgh, you risk losing the Broads, and basically everything up to Norwich eventually.

‘There are terrible repercussions of losing Happisburgh.’

Neighbours and family were there to provide support throughout as Mrs Nierop-Reading’s new home was lifted through the air.

The caravan was chosen for Mrs Nierop-Reading by her daughter and was purchased with the help of a grant from the district council.