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Falling into the sea

The back gardens have already toppled onto the beach but some of these houses are still lived in. Cliff House, once a thriving hotel and B&B establishment, is about to fall into the sea. See also > Link. After the devastating floods in 1953, where 300 people lost their lives, the first sea defences were built and later extended, using greenheart and jarrah wood, combined with steel, for the groynes and revetments. The rate of erosion decreased but despite numerous repairs, large portions of the revetments have been destroyed during the last 40 years and a large bay has formed, due to cliff erosion, to the south of the village, which is on record as the first place in England where an average of two metres of cliff is lost per year. Lacking the funds for costly repairs, local authorities have decided to let nature run her course.