Coastal erosion in England has claimed a minimum of 183 properties in previous 16 years | Coastlines
Seaside communities alongside the east coast of England have misplaced a minimum of 183 properties to coastal erosion and landslides over the previous 16 years, figures obtained by the Guardian reveal.
After councils judged properties throughout the Yorkshire and East Anglian coasts too susceptible to stay safely occupied, the properties had been proactively demolished.
The demolitions price £1.1m, with the Environment Agency contributing about £482,000 in the direction of clearing 61 properties prone to collapsing and the remainder paid for by councils and at occasions by owners themselves.
Coastal erosion is the gradual carrying away and retreat of the ocean shoreline, which may destabilise cliffs and ultimately power properties and utilities to be demolished earlier than they collapse. While it’s a pure course of, scientists stated the local weather disaster was accelerating the retreat of the UK’s shores.
The Guardian requested knowledge from 9 councils famous in a House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee (EFRA) report as being a few of the most susceptible to coastal erosion.
East Riding of Yorkshire council, which incorporates susceptible communities in Skipsea, Aldbrough and Mappleton, has demolished 66 properties since 2010 – probably the most of those 9 native authorities.
Great Yarmouth borough council (GYBC) has demolished 64 properties since 2010, with all the homes located in the village of Hemsby. Since December 2025, the council has eliminated 41 properties within the seaside resort.
A GYBC spokesperson stated: “Last winter, the dunes in Hemsby noticed about 50% of the erosion predicted for the whole lot of the following 30 years. More than 10 metres of land was misplaced in simply over 12 months.
“Council employees proceed to liaise with folks to ensure residents and the general public are protected and work carefully with folks to supply help and recommendation and clarify the choices out there.”
North Norfolk council has proactively demolished 21 properties over the identical interval.
East Suffolk council, which solely held knowledge for the previous six years, recorded a pointy rise in demolitions final yr. Eight properties had been demolished between 2020 and 2024, and 16 between May final yr and April this yr.
Most of East Suffolk’s properties demolished this yr are understood to be in Thorpeness. Hilary Lightfoot’s dwelling, during which she lived and raised a household for 20 years, was demolished this yr. “I’ve misplaced £650,000 – that was what my flat was price,” she stated. “I’ve needed to dig into my pension financial savings to purchase a home, of which I nonetheless owe cash on. I’ve borrowed cash. It’s simply disastrous.”
The Environment Agency estimates that 3,500 properties in England are at risk from coastal erosion by 2055, rising to greater than 10,000 properties by 2105.
More than 6 miles (10km) of main roads, 107 miles of minor roads and three.5 miles of railway – many serving small, coastal communities – are additionally in danger from erosion over the following 80 years, based on the EA.
Unlike flood harm, which may be coated by the Flood Re scheme, there isn’t a UK insurance coverage product for coastal erosion as a result of insurers deal with coastal retreat as a “digital certainty” for some seaside properties somewhat than an unintentional danger, based on the EFRA committee’s report.
East Suffolk council stated that though some authorities funding was out there in the direction of demolition, “there are at present restricted mechanisms to help the broader prices of adaptation and relocation” for residents.
The authority stated it had invested about £1.5m in short-term measures designed to gradual erosion and provides residents extra time to organize, whereas additionally testing new approaches by the federal government’s flood and coastal innovation programme.
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Sophie Day, senior analysis affiliate on the University of East Anglia, stated as a result of the east coast was made up of “very sandy, gravelly, silty materials”, it was extra susceptible to erosion.
She stated wetter winters, made extra doubtless by the local weather disaster, would saturate and destabilise tender cliffs corresponding to these on the east coast, whereas elevated storminess and rising sea ranges would worsen the affect of excessive tides and go away seashores with much less time to get well between storms.
While councils have elevated spending on sea defences over the many years, Day stated these protections have created an “phantasm of permanence” for what’s an accelerating concern. The scale of the risk from coastal erosion meant “we’re going to should shift to extra of an acceptance of not intervening any extra and enabling retreat”, she added.
Day stated adapting to a retreating shoreline meant planning for the lack of properties and utilities earlier than the following emergency, whereas working extra carefully with communities.
“Having expert people who find themselves in a position to interact, who’ve the time, the coaching, the talents, to go and sit at any person’s kitchen desk and discuss to them about the truth that, in a yr, even 5 months’ time, their dwelling is probably not livable. What are the choices? How can we discover methods of giving folks selections and help?”
North Norfolk district council (NNDC) stated: “Households in all 21 properties had been supported by NNDC. Nineteen of those properties had been proactively demolished earlier than they reached the cliff edge and have become an emergency.
“NNDC continues to work with the Environment Agency and Defra … to raised put together communities. Numerous pilot alternatives are beneath improvement. It is hoped that by this work, extra focused help for these impacted can turn into a part of the industry as typical and supported by authorities for the entire coast into the long run.”
A spokesperson for East Riding council stated: “East Riding of Yorkshire has a few of the quickest eroding coastlines in Europe, ensuing within the lack of properties, companies and roads. Through the Changing Coasts East Riding mission, the council is working straight with residents, companies and communities to seek out out the total financial, environmental and social impacts of those losses.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson stated it was “very conscious” of how erosion was affecting coastal owners and communities.
They stated: “While native authorities are finest positioned to help affected residents, we’re backing them with £36m for coastal erosion adaptation pilots, slashing planning regulation crimson tape in susceptible areas and providing £10,000 grants to fund the protected demolition of affected properties – with scope to go additional for extra advanced jobs.”
