Hemsby erosion: Cliff edge home moved inland

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House and cliffs at HemsbyImage source, Supplied
Image caption,

The black bungalow belonging to Lance Martin has been dragged back from its precarious clifftop home

A home teetering on the edge of a rapidly eroding clifftop has been dragged inland in a bid to save it from being demolished.

Erosion on the coastline at Hemsby, Norfolk, has destroyed homes and washed away part of a vital access road.

Lance Martin bought his bungalow six years ago and has moved it back twice, most recently on 16 March when it was dragged 2m (6.6ft) inland.

It was dragged further on Tuesday to what he called "a resting place".

The area has been battered by high spring tides and strong winds this month and the vulnerable stretch of coastline has been ravaged by erosion.

Image source, Martin Giles/BBC
Image caption,

Lance Martin said he was determined to save his "dream home" from demolition

Five homes at risk of falling into the sea along The Marrams in Hemsby have been demolished in recent weeks.

About 2,000 tonnes of granite is being placed along a 131ft (40m) section of the cliff at The Marrams which Great Yarmouth Borough Council admitted was a "temporary solution".

Image source, Martin Barber/BBC
Image caption,

This was Mr Martin's home teetering on the cliff edge on 14 March

Mr Martin's home was first moved about five years ago because of coastal erosion, so this is the third time he has had to call in the heavy machinery in another bid to save his beloved property.

Image source, Martin Barber/BBC
Image caption,

A couple of days later it was dragged several feet away from the edge

Image source, Andrew Turner/BBC
Image caption,

As his possessions were moved out of his house before its potential demolition, Mr Martin posed in his bathtub

Speaking earlier this month, Mr Martin said he believed it would take "about five years" before his house was habitable again.

"It'll give me a future, I just love it down here, I love the people," he said at the time.

Image source, Oliv3r Drone Photography
Image caption,

The bungalow part-way through being moved away from the cliff and across the access road earlier this week

Posting on a local Facebook group after this latest move, Mr Martin wrote: "We have moved the house into its final (or is it?) resting place."

Moving the property had resulted in "some substantial damage", he said, and a there was "a lot of work is ahead of us in the coming days/months/years to put it back to a liveable dwelling".

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