Warning for thousands on Lincolnshire coastline at risk of losing homes to floods

Report by Astrid Quinn

More than 2,000 properties along the region's coast are at risk of being lost to rising sea levels by 2050.

A new study by the peer-reviewed journal Oceans and Coastal Management revealed two of our region's coasts are among the most vulnerable places in the country for erosion and sea flooding.

Among those areas most at risk are North East Lincolnshire and East Lindsay.

The total value of the properties at risk is likely to cost tens of billions of pounds as the average coastal home has risen to £287,000.

Among the areas most at risk of sea flooding and erosion are North East Lincolshire and East Lindsay. Credit: Oceans and Coastal Management journal

There are an estimated 200-thousand homes around the UK that could be wiped-out.

Mean sea levels around the region will be around 35cm higher by 2050 compared to historic levels.

It is predicted the sea levels will continue to rise as global temperatures increase due to greenhouse gas emissions, melts glaciers and ice caps which cause ocean waters to expand as they warm.

In addition, shores are at risk of being eroded which can further deepen the water at the coast leading to larger waves reaching the shore.

The combination of sea-level rises and larger waves will greatly increase the number of properties at risk of flooding.

The study warns investment in improved sea walls and other defences will protect many of the properties at risk, but this will not be affordable or possible everywhere.

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