Ban new home building on Norfolk's vulnerable coastlines, says environmental expert
Three homes were demolished over the weekend in Hemsby- following several days of high tides
An environmental expert is calling for new home building to be immediately banned on Norfolk's receding seafronts.
It's after three homes were demolished over the weekend in Hemsby, following several days of high tides that peaked at near four metres
"They just don't have the funds"
Angela Terry is founder and CEO of climate change awareness campaign, 'One Home':
"We also need to have a more open conversation about infrastructure, homes, communities and businesses in harms way. In Hemsby it's really obvious but there are a lot of people who are unaware of how immediate some of these risks are."
She told us why Hemsby and others currently have no sea defences:
"The Government have created plans for the shoreline on how they are going to manage them moving forwards- and over a third of coastline has a policy status already of 'no active intervention'. This means it does not make economic sense to invest money into protecting towns or villages on the frontline".
"Hemsby did try to raise £15 million to put in short-term measures to buy some time, but they have only raised £2 million- and with local authorities and austerity in mind, they just don't have the funds."
"These extreme weather events are happening more frequently"
Ms Terry says these conditions are a sign of things to come:
"Spring tides happen twice a month and high tides happen twice a day. If you compound that, you get these strong winds and this is where these big waves come from.
"What we know from climate change is these extreme weather events are happening more frequently and all sorts of records are being broken constantly."