Demolition teams start tearing down five clifftop homes hit by storm damage in Norfolk village suffering from coastal erosion

Demolition crews have begun demolishing five storm-damaged cliff homes in a Norfolk village plagued by coastal erosion.

Last month, high tides and strong winds caused a section of a private driveway in Hemsby, Norfolk, to collapse.

A subsequent inspection found that five properties in Marrams should be demolished. Great Yarmouth Town Council agreed and announced its decision this week.

The demolition company demolished the first house this morning.

The work will take at least four days as high tides mean it can only be carried out for a limited number of hours each day.

Demolition workers are tearing down the first of five clifftop houses in the village of Hemsby today.

The work will take at least four days as high tides mean it can only be carried out for a limited number of hours each day.

Due to the loss of the access road, emergency vehicles had to be stationed on the beach (pictured) and materials will be removed from the beach by dump trucks.

Due to the lack of an access road, emergency vehicles had to be stationed on the beach, and materials from the beach will be removed by dump trucks.

The council said the demolition was carried out with the owners’ permission because the houses were “not structurally sound and unsafe”.

Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “While we have known for some time that more properties are at risk of erosion, this remains an extremely difficult time for those people losing their homes.

“Our thoughts are with those affected and our staff are working hard to ensure the support and wellbeing of those who need it.

“Unfortunately, continued erosion along this stretch of coastline is inevitable, and we are working diligently with our partners and other agencies to determine how we can best adapt to the changing shape of our coastline in the coming years.”

The council said demolition would be a “challenging task” and access to the area would be limited, with members of the public urged to stay away from the beach for safety reasons.

The access road remains closed, as does the footpath in the area.

Today the first house was demolished, leaving the owners homeless.

Workers stood and watched as tow trucks and tippers demolished the first of five houses at risk of collapse in Hemsby.

The access road collapsed in late November, cutting off residents and putting homes at risk of collapse.

Google Earth image showing where the two roads on Hemsby Quay used to be. The front road is completely destroyed and much of the road behind, called the Marrams, has also fallen onto the beach below.

The council said officers are working closely with residents to offer support and housing options, and staff are finding suitable accommodation for those who need it.

While demolition work is underway, work will also be carried out to create access to remove the small number of vehicles and caravan that remain following the loss of part of the access road.

It comes after it was determined in late November that the properties were at imminent risk of collapse after an access road collapsed.

Since then, they and 35 other nearby homes have been left with no route for their cars or any other vehicles, including emergency services and garbage trucks.

A 600-foot section of the access road collapsed within minutes after the storm weakened the coastline. Many residents moved their cars from this place in time.

Communities across the region are under threat as it has some of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe.

Hemsby has lost around 220ft since 2013 and this year alone six houses were demolished before they collapsed into the sea.

Residents of wooden chalet-style bungalows on the Marrams estate say the local council did not bother to send anyone to assess the damage until days after the road collapsed.

When officers finally arrived, they handed out letters explaining that owners of properties that fell into the sea without emptying their fuel oil and septic tanks could be prosecuted for pollution.

However, all the villagers noted that they could not obey the diktat since the traders could no longer reach them.