It has the unfortunate claim to be Britain’s ‘most eroded coastline’ – and now newly released video vividly illustrates how much of the village of Hemsby has been lost in the past three decades.
Footage of the Norfolk community was taken in 1998 by Mike Page, 86, and again this weekend shows the devastation cliff falls have caused, just as the local council demolishes more houses before they plummet over the precipice.
Taken during flypasts in a small single-engine plane, they show how back in the 1990s there was a long, sandy stretch of land standing between the North Sea and the wooden chalets that lined the coast.
Today, that buffer zone is gone – and so are the people who lived in the homes that stood there.
A total of 34 properties have been lost in the past 12 years, while Great Yarmouth Borough Council started tearing down 11 more last month.
Earlier this month, 14 other homeowners received notices that they had to move out as atrocious conditions, followed by Storm Goretti, helped strip another 30ft of land away in a week.
Mr Page, who grew up in nearby Gorleston, said: ‘Over the past 20 years, it has only been wooden houses and chalets which have been lost to the erosion.
‘But we are now at the point where the coastline keeps receding – and it’s going to be brick houses.’
Top: A sandy beach and dunes separated homes from the North Sea at Hemsby in Norfolk back in 1998 Bottom: Today, the buffer zone has been washed away by storms and pounding waves, with dozens of homes lost and others teetering on the edge of oblivion
He added: ‘The locals are going insane and people have been evacuated.
‘It’s terrifying knowing that so many livelihoods are teetering on the edge of collapse.
‘But unfortunately with erosion, there’s nothing much you can do to stop it.’
Hemsby is estimated to have lost around 1,000ft of its coastline since the 1970s.
Mr Page, who used a fixed camera during the first flight and an iPhone for the latest, said: ‘In the earlier clip, you can see a stretch of colourful bungalows on the sand which line the coast.
‘But in the most recent one, they have completely disappeared.’
The property casualties include seven bungalows that were demolished or lost after catastrophic erosion caused by the ‘Beast from the East’ storm in 2018.
This was followed by 11 further demolitions in 2023.
Residents had a view of dunes and a beach overlooking the North Sea back in 1998
Now many have the cliff edge at the end of their gardens – or just outside their back doors
Around two dozen property owners have recently been told by Great Yarmouth Borough Council that they must evacuate the area so demolition work can begin before the properties fall onto the narrow shoreline below
Last week residents were salvaging what they could from their homes before the diggers moved in
Residents watch on as the wrecking machines tear down houses, leaving a close-knit community devastated
‘Although there have been attempts to mitigate the erosion – with concrete tubes and sea walls – nothing has seemed to work,’ Mr Page said.
‘It’s most likely to do with tide that has caused the rapid rate of erosion here.
‘It has affected the feel of the town greatly. Residents who have lived here all their life and live on the coast are slowly losing hope.’
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has been offering temporary accommodation to those who have had to move out recently, with housing staff based in the village to provide advice and assistance.
‘Hemsby is such a great and interesting place – historically and geographically,’ Mr Page added.
‘And I hope this erosion doesn’t disqualify it for being a lovely attraction.
‘It can be a bit ‘arcade-y at times but people still love to come here on holiday regardless of the erosion.
‘But for some, leaving must be the only choice.’
Carol Boyes, 80, who was evacuated from her home on January 2, said there had been almost 100ft of land between her and the sea when she moved there 23 years ago
Aerial photos show how just a small stretch of Hemsby road The Marrams has been affected by coastal erosion in the space of a couple of years
Around 1,000ft of land has been lost since the 1970s, with major weather events such as 2018’s Beast from the East and this month’s Storm Goretti hastening the pace
Among those to lose their homes recently are Lance Armstrong, a former Grenadier guardsman who saved his chalet from the brink on two occasions using heavy machinery to drag it to safer territory.
At one point, he even considered an audacious third ‘military-grade operation’ to airlift his beloved beachfront home away from the crumbling cliff face.
Carol Boyes, 80, who was evacuated from her home on January 2, told the Mail how there was almost 100ft of land between her and the sea when she moved there 23 years ago.
She is now staying with friends and waiting to find out about accommodation.
She said today: ‘There were properties and dunes in front of me when I came here. I’ve always been shocked how fast it’s gone.
‘We wouldn’t have bought the property if we’d known that was going to happen. We were told “You’re all right here”. It’s gone too quick.’
Others have spoken of their devastation at losing their homes – with no idea where they will live next.
Eric Forbes, 59, a former second-hand car salesman who is living off savings after stopping work due to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and arthritis, complained: ‘I haven’t got a Plan B.
Former soldier Lance Martin’s home was teetering on the cliff edge in March 2023 (top) before he dragged it back in August 2023 using heavy machinery (middle). The land the house was originally built on fell into the sea in November 2023 (bottom)
Mr Martin pictured celebrating in 2023 after moving his home for the second time
‘Round here, monthly rent is about £1,400 and with council tax and all that it’s another £500. That’s a lot when you’ve already got something you’ve paid for.
‘I had quite a bit of savings but a lot of that is gone and I haven’t got a pension.’
In November, local estate agents were criticised for not making it clearer that clifftop homes on sale for £10,000 at notorious road The Marrams were at risk of being lost to the sea.
Natasha Hayes, the borough council’s executive director, claimed some were being bought for cash without surveys being carried out.
‘Homes are still being sold now. It’s awful for the people that are buying them,’ she said.
‘We do not advise people to purchase these properties. Local estate agents should have a moral duty.’
Estate agents defended the sales, saying it was reassuring for current homeowners to know there was still some equity in their properties.
Purchasers were also happy to buy homes with a limited life-span in picturesque spots that were affordable due to ‘environmental challenges’, they added.