Drone footage shows Norfolk home close to collapsing as cliff crumbles
Drone footage shows how a historic 18th century farm house is perilously close to collapsing as the cliff beneath it crumbles into the sea.
The three-bedroom home at Cliff Farm in Norfolk is hanging on the edge after a series of landslides washed away the soft land it has sat on for more than two centuries.
Recent heavy rain has made the problem worse, with new cracks opening up in the exposed sandy ground, around the property which lies in the erosion hit coastal area of Trimingham.
The speed of the collapse has left the homeowner, who bought the property just five years ago at auction for £132,000, with no choice to evacuate – although his neighbour who lives metres away who is also at risk has insisted he won’t leave his own house unless I leave in an old box’.
North Norfolk District Council had said it would demolish the farmhouse, but with the building still standing and the cliff become more and more unstable, there is a risk it could topple onto the beach below before then.
The property has been left teetering on the brink after more land fell away from underneath
The house overhangs the sandy beach below, with fears it could collapse at any moment
The 18th century farmhouse was bought just five years ago for £132,000 at auction, but the owner has now been forced to leave
North Norfolk District Council says it is working to demolish the property before it falls onto the beach below
Cliff House lies to the east of Trimingham, an area of the Norfolk coast that has high amounts of erosion
Someone was also spotted emptying the property’s garage on Monday, with the house expected to be flattened any day before it falls onto the beach below.
Owner Steve McCormack previously told the Mail ‘I can’t think straight. I can’t talk now. I need to try to sort this out’ despite there being no solution to his desperate predicament.
A spokesperson for North Norfolk District Council told MailOnline today that it is working to demolish the property.
They said: ‘The Council has secured specialist contractors who will carry out the safe demolition of Cliff Farm in Trimingham in the near future.’
Staggering before and after pictures from October 2023 to today show just how much closer the house has got to the cliff edge.
Harry Blathwayt, North Norfolk District Council’s portfolio holder for coast, said previously: ‘It’s very sad that the old farmhouse has been undermined by landfall over the last few weeks.
‘Sadly, it will have to be demolished.
‘The owner of the property has spoken to council officers and he fully accepts that the building is in a precarious position to say the least.
‘As such, the council’s Coastwise team will be helping demolish it – getting contractors in and taking it down before it can fall on the beach.’
The entire building is in danger of collapsing onto the beach below, spreading debris over a wide area
Cracks have formed in the soft ground beneath the property, with fears it could drop entirely
Recent winter storms have caused more erosion to take place, with a neighbouring building also in the firing line
Trimingham is known for its high rate of erosion, caused by the north sea battering against the soft, sandy cliffs
This birds-eye view shows the historic far house is metres from plunging over the edge of the cliff
This photo taken in 1998 shows the true extent of the erosion which has taken place over the years
Mr McCormack’s neighbour, Martin Collingwood, faces seeing his pristine chalet – called Windy Ridge – suffer the same fate as the cliff continues to crumble.
But the retired carpenter, who previously served in the Parachute Regiment, vowed only death would part him from his sanctuary – despite its limited lifespan.
‘This is my home. I won’t go anywhere unless I leave in an old box, a coffin,’ said the 69-year-old, who is still recovering from sepsis that left him partially sighted after a knee operation three years ago.
Recent heavy rainfall has increased erosion in the soft cliffs at Trimingham and there have been frequent landslides over the last few months.
Four years ago, in January 2020, a large part of the cliff eroded near Trimingham House Caravan Park, with tonnes of sand and silt falling onto the beach.
Trimingham Parish Council plans to use drones to plant seeds along the cliffs in a bid to naturally bind them together and slow down the rate of erosion threatening the village. They have also been trying to use pipes to drain water out of the cliffs.
The concerns over a potential cliff collapse at Trimingham had led the Ministry of Defence to move the distinctive ‘golf ball’ radar station inland to Neatishead last year.
A replacement facility was built eight miles from the coast at RAF Neatishead, near Hoveton – the site of a former major radar base.
The seaside resort of Hemsby has also lost several homes due to coastal erosion with ex-soldier Lance Martin hitting the headlines for dragging his bungalow away from the cliff edge twice.
Mr Martin, 66, initially admitted defeat last November but has now announced plans to airlift his home by helicopter away from the seafront in a military-grade operation.
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