Key facts
- At least 183 homes in England have been demolished due to coastal erosion in the past 16 years.
- The total cost of demolitions reached £1.1 million, with the Environment Agency contributing £482,000.
- East Riding of Yorkshire council has demolished the most homes, with 66 since 2010.
- Great Yarmouth borough council has demolished 64 homes in Hemsby since 2010.
- The Environment Agency estimates over 10,000 properties could be at risk by 2105.
- There is no specific UK insurance product for coastal erosion.
Seaside communities along England's east coast have lost at least 183 homes to coastal erosion and landslides over the past 16 years, according to figures obtained by The Guardian. These homes were proactively demolished by local councils after being deemed too vulnerable to remain safely occupied.
The demolitions cost a total of £1.1 million, with the Environment Agency contributing approximately £482,000 towards clearing 61 properties at risk of collapse. The remaining costs were covered by councils and, at times, by homeowners.
Coastal erosion, the gradual wearing away of the shoreline, is a natural process but is being accelerated by the climate crisis, scientists say. The Guardian requested data from nine councils identified as highly vulnerable to erosion. East Riding of Yorkshire council, which includes Skipsea, Aldbrough, and Mappleton, has demolished the most homes with 66 since 2010. Great Yarmouth borough council has removed 64 homes in Hemsby since 2010, with 41 of those occurring since December 2025. North Norfolk council has proactively demolished 21 homes over the same period.
East Suffolk council, which only provided data for the last six years, reported a significant increase in demolitions, with 16 homes removed between May last year and April this year, primarily in Thorpeness. Hilary Lightfoot, a resident of Thorpeness, stated she lost £650,000 on her flat and has had to use pension savings to purchase a new home.
The Environment Agency estimates that by 2055, 3,500 properties in England could be at risk from coastal erosion, a figure projected to rise to over 10,000 by 2105. Additionally, more than 6 miles of major roads, 107 miles of minor roads, and 3.5 miles of railway are also at risk.
Unlike flood damage, which is covered by schemes like Flood Re, there is no specific UK insurance product for coastal erosion, as insurers consider coastal retreat a near certainty for some properties. East Suffolk council has invested about £1.5 million in short-term measures to slow erosion and is testing new approaches through the government's flood and coastal innovation programme.
Sophie Day, a senior research associate at the University of East Anglia, explained that the east coast's sandy, gravelly, and silty composition makes it particularly vulnerable. Wetter winters, exacerbated by climate change, saturate and destabilize soft cliffs, while increased storminess and rising sea levels worsen the impact of high tides. Day suggested a shift towards accepting and enabling retreat rather than solely relying on sea defenses, which can create an "illusion of permanence."