Homeowners who thought they were snapping up a seaside bargain have been left facing financial ruin after being warned their dream properties could soon plunge into the sea – just weeks after buying them.
Among those caught up in the coastal crisis is Lynn Sweet, 64, who spent £145,000 at auction in August on a four-bedroom seaside cottage and a two-bedroom annexe in the Norfolk hamlet of Newport, near Hemsby.
She had planned to spend her retirement living in the annexe, while renting out the cottage to provide some extra income.
But just eight weeks after buying the properties, which form part of a row of former fishermen’s cottages, Ms Sweet received a devastating warning from Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) that they could be at risk of coastal erosion, BBC News reports.
Having initially believed she would have another ten to 20 years in her new home, she has now been advised by local authorities to leave for her own safety.
And she is not alone. Fellow homeowner Nathan Weissbraun spent £60,000 on a three-bedroom property in the same row of four terraced cottages – and now faces the prospect of losing his investment.
Property owners in Newport, Hemsby, have been told their homes are at risk of disappearing into the sea
He told the news outlet: ‘It was below market value, so it was a good price. It’s a lot of money we’re going to lose and we’re trying to fight our corner so it can stay.’
Mr Weissbraun, from Manchester, has a collection of 20 rental properties and faces the same issue as Ms Sweet. He insisted he would never buy in Norfolk again.
He had paid £55,000 less than the previous owner who bought the home in 2023.
Meanwhile, resident Gemma Lomas emphasised how important the houses were to local history and how she was informed in 2015 they had 100 years left before they eroded away.
Ms Lomas, who is the fourth generation of her family to live in the cottages, explained this then dropped to 30 years in 2025.
Auction House East Anglia’s director, Bryan Baxter, told BBC News: ‘We endeavour to ensure that relevant information about a property’s condition, location and known risks is disclosed to prospective purchasers.
‘Where coastal erosion is a factor, we make buyers aware that they should carry out their own research into any issues likely to affect the property or land.’
A GYBC spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Erosion continues to have a significant impact on the dunes at Hemsby, with two named storms within the past month causing about 5m of further loss of the dunes.
‘The erosion is extremely distressing for those affected and the council works closely with residents impacted to offer advice, support and explain the options available.
‘As the coastal authority responsible, GYBC has a duty to maintain public safety and where property is at risk of collapse on to the beach demolition needs to be carried out in a safe and manageable way.
‘Analysis of the latest data and mapping shows nine properties are now within the ten-metre zone of risk and owners have been contacted and spoken with to encourage them to vacate in a timely way so any necessary action can be taken in a safe and planned way.
‘The council is continuing its ongoing programme of liaison and discussion with residents that includes home visits and public engagement sessions.
‘Norfolk has some of Europe’s most rapidly eroding coastline and since December 2025, 41 properties in Hemsby have been demolished. The work was carried out as storms and high tides put the properties at risk of collapse on to the beach.
Some have only recently purchased their homes, including Lynn Sweet who spent £145,000 on a four-bedroom seaside cottage and a two-bed annexe in August
Nathan Weissbraun, had spent £60,000 on a three-bedroom property that forms part of a row of four terraced cottages
‘Last winter, the dunes in Hemsby saw about 50 per cent 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.’
Bryan Baxter, director of Auction House East Anglia, told the Daily Mail: ‘We recognise the very real concern and distress being experienced by homeowners in Hemsby as a result of continuing coastal erosion.
‘It is an extremely difficult situation for those affected, and we fully appreciate the strength of feeling surrounding the future of properties in the area.’
He added: ‘Vendors are entitled to sell their property, provided any known issues are declared.
‘We endeavour to ensure that relevant information about a property’s condition, location and known risks is disclosed to prospective purchasers. Where coastal erosion is a factor, we make buyers aware that they should carry out their own research into any issues likely to affect the property or land.’
Hemsby has the unfortunate claim to be Britain’s ‘most eroded coastline’ – and a video released earlier this year illustrates how much of the village of Hemsby has been lost in the past three decades.
Footage of the Norfolk community was taken in 1998 by Mike Page and again in January shows the devastation cliff falls have caused, just as the local council demolishes more houses before they plummet over the precipice.
Taken during flypasts in a small single-engine plane, they show how back in the 1990s there was a long, sandy stretch of land standing between the North Sea and the wooden chalets that lined the coast.
Today, that buffer zone is gone – and so are the people who lived in the homes that stood there.
Dozens of homes have been demolished over the past 12 years and Hemsby is estimated to have lost around 1,000ft of its coastline since the 1970s.
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
