Seaside communities along the east coast of England have lost at least 183 homes to coastal erosion and landslides over the past 16 years, figures obtained by the Guardian reveal. After councils judged properties across the Yorkshire and East Anglian coasts too vulnerable to remain safely occupied, the homes were proactively demolished. The demolitions cost £1.1m, with the Environment Agency contributing about £482,000 towards clearing 61 homes at risk of collapsing and the rest paid for by councils and at times by homeowners themselves.
Coastal erosion is the gradual wearing away and retreat of the sea shoreline, which can destabilise cliffs and eventually force homes and infrastructure to be demolished before they collapse. While it is a natural process, scientists said the climate crisis was accelerating the retreat of the UK’s shores. The Guardian requested data from nine councils noted in a House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee (EFRA) report as being some of the most vulnerable to coastal erosion.
East Riding of Yorkshire council, which includes vulnerable communities in Skipsea, Aldbrough and Mappleton, has demolished 66 homes since 2010 – the most of these nine local authorities. Great Yarmouth borough council (GYBC) has demolished 64 homes since 2010, with all the houses located in the village of Hemsby. Since December 2025, the council has removed 41 properties in the seaside resort.
A GYBC spokesperson said: “Last winter, the dunes in Hemsby saw about 50% of the erosion predicted for the entirety of the next 30 years. More than 10 metres of land was lost in just over 12 months. East Suffolk council, which only held data for the past six years, recorded a sharp rise in demolitions last year.
Eight homes were demolished between 2020 and 2024, and 16 between May last year and April this year. Most of East Suffolk’s homes demolished this year are understood to be in Thorpeness. Hilary Lightfoot’s home, in which she lived and raised a family for 20 years, was demolished this year.
It’s just disastrous.” The Environment Agency estimates that 3,500 properties in England are at risk from coastal erosion by 2055, increasing to more than 10,000 properties by 2105. More than 6 miles (10km) of major roads, 107 miles of minor roads and 3.5 miles of railway – many serving small, coastal communities – are also at risk from erosion over the next 80 years, according to the EA. Unlike flood damage, which can be covered by the Flood Re scheme, there is no UK insurance product for coastal erosion because insurers treat coastal retreat as a “virtual certainty” for some seaside homes rather than an accidental risk, according to the EFRA committee’s report.
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