Hemsby erosion: Clifftop homeowner faces race against time

Lance Martin's property, on the south side of Hemsby Gap, is vulnerable on the cliff edge

A clifftop homeowner is facing a race against time to move his bungalow inland before it is demolished.

Lance Martin has seen erosion on the coastline at Hemsby, Norfolk, destroy other homes and wash away part of an access road.

He has booked heavy lifting equipment to move his home before a demolition order is enforced by the council.

"I am determined to move my house - that's my be-all-and-end-all of being here," he said.

The coastal stretch at The Marrams has been battered by storm surges and spring tides during the course of the last 14 days.

A 2,000-tonne consignment of granite is due to be installed as a revetment defence on the shoreline in the next few days.

Mr Martin, third from right, oversees the operation to lift his home away from the clifftop edge

A meeting will be held in Hemsby on Friday for locals to have their say about how to save the vulnerable coastline.

Demolition work by Great Yarmouth Borough Council is taking place on the north side of Hemsby Gap, a break in the dunes used by lifeboat crews to access the beach.

Aerial image of the Hemsby cliffs showing three gaps where properties once stood

Three homes on the clifftop were demolished at the weekend, with two more homeowners served Section 77 notices by the authority on Monday.

Mr Martin's home is teetering on the edge of the vulnerable clifftop at Hemsby

Mr Martin, whose home is on the south side of the gap, wants to try to save his "dream home" home of six years by dragging it further inland, back from the cliff edge.

However, he said he accepted the public safety role of the council and if his house had to be demolished, he admitted "that's life".

"It's not just about me, it's about public safety and the environment," he said.

"I'm not losing hope at all. There's been a few setbacks, it's just the way the coast is around here, the sea has taken over everything and the wind behind it.

"I understand where the council are coming from, they have public health and safety and the environment to think about."

A digger arrived on site on Wednesday to begin the operation to lift Mr Martin's house clear of the edge

Another homeowner, Sue, who did not want to give her surname, saw her home demolished on Saturday.

She said her home was a "real sanctuary" with a "lovely atmosphere and energy about it", and its loss was "amazingly fast".

"When you start to think you have no home to come back to, there's actually nothing here whatsoever, that's quite difficult," she told the BBC.

Sue's home was one of three properties demolished over the weekend before they could slide from the top of the dunes to Hemsby beach below

The council said the arrival of rock, sourced from an old airfield at Hopton, will act as a defence from further damage by the tides.

Council leader, Carl Smith, said Mr Martin's home was "on the brink".

"It is a race against time," he said. "Things have changed so dramatically over the last 14 days and we're expecting more next week as well.

"That's why it's important to get the rock in place here to save this road, to protect these nine or so houses that would be really affected within the next seven days.

"It's really important this work is carried out as swiftly as we can to protect lives and access to these people up here."

Timeline of events

• The beach at Hemsby was closed off on 25 February because of significant erosion

• People were evacuated from at-risk homes on Friday amid fears properties could fall into the sea

• High tide hit at about 21:00 GMT on Friday, toppling a playhouse and shed over the cliff

• The first of three homes on The Marrams, north of Hemsby gap, was demolished on Saturday

• Two more homes north of the gap were demolished on Sunday

• Another two homes said to be in danger were evacuated on Monday

• About 2,000 tonnes of granite is expected to be added to the beach this week