Clifftop residents ignore warnings to evacuate

RESIDENTS living at the top of a cliff have refused to evacuate and go to a rescue centre, despite being warned their homes could collapse into the sea.

Great Yarmouth council has advised residents living in 30 chalets west of The Marrams in Hemsby, Norfolk, to evacuate after the dunes eroded by 16ft (5m) in 24 hours.

Residents were told they could move to a rescue centre until the high tide had passed. “This is a purely precautionary measure, taken in light of the risk posed through further loss of cliff material,” a council spokesman said.

The council said “residents chose not to relocate to the centre”.

Police officers and lifeboat crew visited the properties on behalf of the council to advise residents to move their vehicles away.

In March some residents living in houses east of The Marrams fled after part of the cliff gave way during the so-called “Mini Beast from the East”.

A garden shed and an oil tank reportedly tumbled into the sea after days of high winds and waves eroded the sandstone.