Seaside homes are left perilously close to a cliff edge 130 FEET above the sea after a section 'as wide as a football pitch' falls away in massive landslide - but residents insist they want to STAY put
Determined residents say they won't flee their homes that are now just 20ft from a cliff edge despite a huge landslide that left their seafront properties perilously close to the water.
Homeowners in Mundesley, Norfolk, face a nervous Christmas after their properties were left just 130ft above sea level when tonnes of soil and sand tumbled down following heavy rainfall.
Campaigners warned that the section of cliff that collapsed was at 'least the width of a football pitch', although the Coast Guard are understood to have reassured local residents that they are not in immediate danger.
Two properties have now been dangling left mere feet from the cliff edge, joining scores of other properties that have been threatened by the eroding coastline.
But residents of flats left teetering just 20ft from the edge of a cliff after a huge landslide in a seaside village have insisted they want to stay in their homes.
A handful of stubborn tenants are refusing to panic and hope they are able to carry on living safely in the tourist hotspot for many years to come.
They say they are hopeful that a £7million scheme to shore up sea defences on Norfolk's North Sea coast, including Mundesley and Cromer, will help prevent further erosion.
Homeowners in Mundesley, Norfolk, face a nervous Christmas after their properties were left just 130ft above sea level when tonnes of soil and sand tumbled down following heavy rainfall
The aftermath of the landslide (left) which left homes in Mundesley dangling perilously close to the cliff edge. Pictured right is a rendered image of the coastline in 2017 prior to the collapseThe landslide at Mundesley in Norfolk happened overnight on Wednesday after rainfall made the cliff unstable.
It is estimated that the county's North Sea coast is shrinking at a rate of 6.5ft each year.
Drone footage shows the devastating impact of the rainfall, which has left locals concerned about their homes and some fearing for their safety.
Antony Lloyd, 31, who rents a room in a home by the cliff edge, said he was already 'scared out of [his] mind' after a cliff collapse in nearby Trimingham last January, but is now more determined to find a new home.
The landslide at Norfolk's picturesque coastline happened overnight on Wednesday after rainfall made the cliff unstable.
Retired council communications manager Lynne Hammond, who lives in a house by the collapsed section of cliff, said she had 'always expected something to happen'.
'It's the nature of where we live,' the 61-year-old said. 'I think worrying now is a bit counterproductive to be honest.'
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She said she bought the house for £122,000 at an auction nine years ago as a cash buyer, moving from Luton to be closer to family.
'We'd have never bought a house like this otherwise so we were willing to take a chance,' she said.
'We figured it would last as long as we do and we told the kids we probably won't be able to pass this house on to you. This is the first instance of anything happening in all those years.'
The entire width of Mundesley beach was blocked as chunks of land were strewn into the North Sea after the landslide.
Coastguard officials said that the erosion was due to heavy rainfall that had rendered the cliffs 'unstable'.
Drone footage shows the devastating impact of the rainfall, which has left locals concerned about their homes and some fearing for their safety
Experts have warned that the county's North Sea coast is eroding at an estimated rate of 6.5ft each year
Antony Lloyd, 31, looks down to the beach from his garden after a cliff collapse at Mundesley in north NorfolkThe Maritime and Coastguard Agency have confirmed nobody was in danger.
Filmmaker Paul Glenn described the scene as 'shocking' and said it 'almost looked like a cartoon'.
He added: 'It's shocking. It looks fake because the landslide is so big. We walk up that beach a lot and to see it covered in rubble is surreal.
'It's something that's happening more frequently than you'd like. Certainly, some areas are more susceptible than others.'
Bev Reynolds, 70, who is a member of a local group that campaigns to protect the set of steps from the clifftop to the beach, said the section of cliff that fell was 'at least the width of a football pitch'.
She warned that the early morning landslide was the worst incident of its kind in Mundesley, Norfolk since she moved there 18 years ago.
Two semi-detached homes and a block of six flats are now just steps away from a 130ft plunge to the beach below.
Bev lives 50 yards from the cliff edge, where she said new homeowners can't get a mortgage due to the risk of erosion.
Bev said: 'You literally could jump from the houses down over the cliff edge.
'Luckily they've got big gardens - they're likely to lose the gardens but the houses are probably going to be safe for the upcoming years.
She added: 'It's pretty scary. It's the size of this one - it was about the width of a football pitch. It's taken a really good slice of the cliff away.
'That particular piece of the cliff was very vulnerable because there wasn't a lot of greenery on it.'
HM Coastguard Bacton said on Facebook that the cliffs were 'unstable due to the recent rain', describing the cliff fall in Mundesley as 'substantial'.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was 'not believed that anybody living close to the location is in danger'.
The entire width of Mundesley beach was blocked as chunks of land were strewn into the North Sea after the landslide
A spokesman added: 'The UK's coastline is continually eroding, with pieces falling from cliffs that can be just a few small rocks or falls of hundreds of tons, including rocks the size of a car.
'It's impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be.'
They advised that, when standing or walking at the bottom of a cliff, people should not stand less than the height of the cliff away.
Last January, holiday home owners were forced to flee their caravans after a huge landslide along the same coastline near Trimingham, around three miles from Mundesley.
A report by North Norfolk council in 2014 stated that the cliffs at Mundesley are 'among the most rapidly retreating cliffs of the UK' as they are comprised of 'weak and unconsolidated glacial sediments'.
It added that heavy rainfall and wave action make the cliffs vulnerable to erosion.
The council has tried to defend the cliffs using measures such as concrete blocks and wooden barriers.
Mundesley Cliffs is a 29-hectare area marked as a site of special scientific interest due to its marine and freshwater deposits.
It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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