Ex-soldier Lance Martin succeeds in dragging his Hemsby clifftop home back from the brink

  • Watch a report by ITV New Anglia's Rob Setchell

A former soldier whose home has been teetering on the edge of a crumbling cliff has managed to drag the entire bungalow inland to safety.

Lance Martin's bungalow was on the brink of collapse after he lost several metres of his Hemsby garden when the town was hit by high tides and gale force winds.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council had given him a deadline of 11am this morning to prove there had been 'significant movement.'

Mr Martin told ITV News Anglia that as council officials walked towards his property, they saw for themselves the property had been dragged back around 10 feet.

Lance said it was 'never in doubt' the property would be moved inland. Credit: ITV News Anglia

"It was just fantastic, a feeling of elation and thankfulness for all the help we've had down here" he said.

"I never had a doubt we would move it, you get the right people behind you, with fantastic ideas and the right machinery and we've achieved what we needed to."

But his success comes as another cliff-top bungalow was demolished, the fourth home to be torn down in Hembsy in less than a week.

Lorna Bevan, founder of the Save Hemsby Coastline group said dozens more homes in the seaside town could be at risk unless urgent intervention is taken.

"Why are they not throwing money at us from central government?"

"The people that live up here, they pay their taxes, they brought their properties in good faith.

"It's not too late to protect the homes that are still in place. There are 92 homes at risk after this. Why are we not protecting them?"

Lance says work will now take place to level up the site. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Around 2,000 tonnes of rock is due to start arriving in Hemsby this week as an emergency measure to protect the dunes and more people's homes.

As for Mr Martin, he now plans to level the plot behind his property and will in due course try and move his home even further away from the sea.

"I just want to live in peace and quiet you know" he said.

"I enjoy Hemsby, I enjoy the lifestyle here."

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