Advisory notes sent to residents of Hemsby clifftop homes

Advisory notes have been sent to the owners of properties on the edge of crumbling cliffs and at risk of falling into the sea.

Eleven timber-built chalets – a mixture of permanent homes and holiday lets – at The Marrams in Hemsby have been assessed as being at imminent risk of collapse.

Erosion over the past year, combined with damage caused by Storm Benjamin, means the properties at the Norfolk beach are within 5m of the cliff edge.

“I’m hoping I’m going to be here for Christmas,” said Carol Boyes, 80, who lives in one of the 11 homes affected.

“But the way things are going at the moment I can’t see it happening [and] I’ve got no Plan B at the moment if this all goes.”

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it had sent advisory letters regarding the 11 properties but formal notice of them being condemned had not yet been issued.

Mrs Boyes said she had received a letter regarding the property and that she wanted to seek her own legal advice.

“They have phoned me because of the bad weather but no-one’s come near me and I’m left to my own devices,” she said.

“So I’m just going to stick it out to the end and see what happens… [but] we’re all going to lose out down here.”

Mark Alden, who owned another of the homes, told the BBC he believed the risk to his property was no greater than two years ago when his neighbours’ homes were demolished.

However, he has started removing materials from the chalet and will sign the property over to the council in the hope it gives him a better chance of finding land elsewhere in the borough.

Simon Measures, the chairman of the Save Hemsby Coastline group, lives next door to Mrs Boyes – but his wooden home is set further back.

“The mental stress that the people affected are under is immense,” he said.

“From phone calls saying that demolition is imminent, to emails with only draft documents attached, to then hear nothing and be left in limbo without having a date to work to is unfair and an awful way for a council to act towards its residents.”

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said its coastal management team was monitoring coastal frontages to ensure the safety of residents, and to prevent last-minute evacuations during storms.

In a statement, it said: ”People are advised when their property is at imminent risk of being lost to erosion and we work with them to provide support and help them plan to move safely.

“We provide options for safe relocation and are currently working with 11 people on securing their agreement to enable the demolition of their properties.”

Five of the properties were occupied, four were vacant holiday homes and two were derelict, a council spokesperson said.

“The timeframe for this work will be agreed with residents,” they added.

The spokesperson added that Storm Benjamin had caused further erosion earlier this month and that further plans for storms were being formed.