‘It’s a monster’: the Skipsea homes falling into the North Sea
Jessica and I have worked with these communities on the East Riding coast. It’s a very challenging and almost insuperable problem for the places concerned. This article gives you a flavour of the challenges they face.
For decades the picturesque seaside from Bridlington to Withernsea has been a haven for holidaymakers from across the country. But it is quickly becoming known for another reason: it is the fastest-eroding coastline in northern Europe.
Figures published this week showed that parts of the coast were disappearing far faster than first thought. A combination of stormy weather and rising sea levels caused more than 10 metres of cliff to disappear from a 2-mile stretch of coast in just nine months last year, compared with the annual average of 4 metres. In just six months, three strips of coastline lost nearly double what they expected to lose in a year.
On Green Lane, residents are on the frontline of this unwinnable war with nature. “You can get up one morning and open your curtains and you’ve lost your fence, or your garden’s gone,” said Carly Davis, 30, whose rented chalet is one of more than 20 home at imminent risk of being swallowed by the sea in the next year.
Davis, not her real name, points to the half-missing fence at the foot of her garden and the wet clay cliff, freshly-exposed by the waves. All along her street, huge chunks are missing from gardens and the cliff is just 9 metres from some people’s back doors. The main road that once led to their street now ends precipitously at the cliff edge. A bright red sign warns: “Danger. Cliffs subject to coastal erosion. DO NOT PROCEED.”