Demolition work to start on five Hemsby clifftop homes damaged by storms and coastal erosion

Work is starting to tear down five more clifftop homes on a fragile section of coastline badly damaged by high winds and strong tides.

The properties in Hemsby, Norfolk, are on the Marrams - a private access road - and their demolition was due to start over the weekend and last for four days.

Some 35 properties have been left stranded on the Marrams with no way of getting vehicles in or out after high winds last month but the area has been victim to coastal erosion over the past decade.

Residents have told ITV News Anglia of their plight, as they pack up their belongings in homes they once thought they would live in forever.

• Rob Setchell reports for ITV News Anglia on the 'soul-destroying' crisis facing Hemsby

Great Yarmouth Borough Council ordered the five homes should be demolished after inspecting several dwellings on the private road, following the November storm.

The authority said the decision, taken with the owners’ permission, was because the homes were "not structurally sound and are unsafe".

Wrecking machines will need to be on the beach to carry out demolitions because of the loss of the access road, and material will need to be taken off the beach by tipper truck.

The work could be limited to a few hours each day because of the tides.

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

"Our thoughts are with those affected and our staff have been working hard to provide support and welfare for those who need it.

"Unfortunately, continued erosion on this stretch of coastline is inevitable and we are working hard with our partners and other agencies to work out how we best adapt to the changing shape of our coast in the coming years."

Council staff have been finding accommodation for people who need it and the footpath in the area remains closed, as does the Marrams access road.

During the demolition, work will take place to remove a small number of vehicles and a caravan which were left behind when part of the access road was lost.

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