Demolition of Thorpeness home threatened by costal erosion begins

A clifftop home which was at risk of being consumed by the sea is being demolished.

The Warren, in Thorpeness, Suffolk, is being torn down after falling victim to “significant erosion”, East Suffolk Council has said.

Jean Flick, 88, had lived at the house for 25 years and last month said she hoped to remain for as long as it was safe, but she is now living with family.

The demolition, which follows the destruction of another home in the street, The Red House, in 2022, is expected to take between seven and 10 days.

“We have been monitoring the area regularly and working closely with residents so they are aware of and understand their erosion risk,” said a council spokesperson.

“Sadly, a property is being demolished due to critical safety levels being reached.”

The demolition is being funded by the council, which will then look to reclaim some of the costs through an Environment Agency grant.

Ms Flick had previously been told that the house, built in 1928, would have to be bulldozed if the cliff edge got to within 5m of the property.

She had hoped to build defences at the foot of the cliffs to slow the coastal erosion, and said earlier this year that her “heart will just break” if it was torn down.

Mark Packard, the Liberal Democrat cabinet member for planning and coastal management at East Suffolk Council, said: “Losing a home to coastal erosion is extremely distressing.

“The owner has had time to remove their belongings and arrange the demolition of their property in a planned, safe and dignified manner.”

Bill Seale, vice chairman of Aldringham cum-Thorpe parish council, said: “It is devastating to see but time and tide will wait for no-one.

“It is very sad that someone has lived there all this time, in such a lovely house, and it is now being lost.

“It has been appalling for Ms Flick – it has broken her heart.”

Sophie Marple, who lives a few doors down from Ms Flick’s house, said the rate at which the coast was eroding was “horrifying”.

“It is so destructive and it feels like such a waste – that’s Jean Flick’s life just being demolished right in front of our eyes,” she added.

“It is just really, really upsetting and devastating and now [the homes are] going to go like dominoes because there is nothing holding the sea back – it is just not going to stop.”

Additional reporting by PA Media.