Terrified residents had to evacuated from their cliff-edge homes overnight amid fears their houses could plunge into the sea during a storm surge.<br /><br />At least five people were told to leave their homes as 50mph winds and a high tide of 3.7m threatened to undermine properties perching on a small sand cliff<br /><br />Coastguard workers helped fleeing residents at Hemsby, Norfolk, and watched on as patio slabs in some of their gardens slipped into the sea.<br /><br />The 3,000-strong coastal village has suffered from severe coastal erosion in recent years with a number of properties abandoned as the cliffs slip away.<br /><br />Several residents moved all their belongings out of their homes last night and were taken to a village hall.<br /><br />Some may now need to be permanently rehomed.<br /><br />Coastguards also revealed that the cliff erosion had created a new 10 ft drop into the sea from the beach meaning the local lifeboat can no longer be launched.<br /><br />This morning coastguards were out there again at 6.30am anxiously awaiting the next high tide due at 9am today (Mar 10).<br /><br />Dan Hurd, 41, is Hemsby lifeboat's coxswain who was out last night and this morning monitoring the situation.<br /><br />He said: "It's a bloody mess down there right now. If you see the sea right now you wouldn't believe it. <br /><br />"A lot of people are upset, they had to get out of their properties last night and some left their belongings- fully furnished houses, food in the cupboard, all there. <br /><br />"One refused to leave but we managed to persuade them to go into a hotel. <br /><br />"I think it's disgusting that the government haven't signed off on measures that could help prevent this."<br /><br />Among the homes threatened is that of retired Grenadier Guardsman Lance Martin, 65, who in 2018 moved his £95k detached property back 10.5 metres from the cliff edge to stop it from toppling into the sea.<br /><br />When he bought the house in 2017 he was told by an environmental impact study that he would have 30-40 years before the cliff edge reached his house, until the Beast from the East storm ate 30 metres from his back garden in 2018.<br /><br />He was evacuated last night and went to stay in Lowestoft to await the storm. <br />Pictures of his property show angry waves swilling around his back garden, which is now only a few metres deep.<br /><br />Lance's road, The Marrams, at the edge of the cliff is now at risk of being eroded underneath by the tide. <br /><br />Dan fears this road will need to be closed off permanently if the next tide eats away more sand from under the tarmac.<br /><br />This would mean at least seven residents at the end of that road would need to be permanently rehomed.<br /><br />Their houses would be condemned according to Dan as the road was their last access point and emergency services would no longer be able to get to them.<br /><br />A telegraph pole also fell into the sea last night, disconnected two weeks ago when the last storm hit.
