A former soldier living on a cliff edge was finally forced to walk away from his home today as the encroaching sea sent waves crashing precariously close to the property.
Retired Grenadier Guardsman Lance Martin, who in 2018 moved his £95,000 detached house back 10.5 metres from the cliff edge to stop it from toppling into the sea, had previously vowed to stay "come what may" in his scenic £95,000 Norfolk retirement property.
However today's dramatic developments illustrated the rapid pace of coastal erosion and forced his hand.
Mr Martin, 65, was one of several locals in Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth, who this morning scrambled to salvage valuables and get out of their homes as waves crashed on the beach below.
Strong winds and high tides threatened the structure of his garden shed, just next to the house, which teetered precipitously on the edge of the cliff.
A stretch of road leading south from his home along the coast was rendered impassable due to a landslide, the Mail Online reports.
Mr Martin's evacuation comes just days after five terrified residents in the area were told to leave their homes overnight as a storm surge threatened to wash cliff-top houses into the sea.
On Friday, a high tide of 3.7m and 50mph winds forced the evacuations in Norfolk, as residents feared their properties could plunge into the sea.
Coastguard workers helped at least five people flee the houses, which perch atop a small sand cliff by the beach at Hemsby.
Stricken residents were forced to watch as patio slabs in some of their gardens slipped into the churning sea.
The 3,000-strong coastal village has seen a number of properties abandoned in recent years as severe coastal erosion eats away at cliffs.
Several residents moved all their belongings out of their homes on Friday night and were taken to a village hall. Some would need to be permanently rehomed.
Last week Mr Martin said he wanted to drag his house back a further 40 metres with a tractor, after several neighbouring homes were demolished last weekend.
His local Great Yarmouth Borough Council, however, has other plans - having earmarked his one-bedroom, chalet bungalow home for demolition.
The pensioner had previously claimed he had no regrets about his purchase, having relocated from London. He said he had a "fantastic lifestyle" and that he would "do it all again at the drop of a hat".
Coastguards also revealed that the cliff erosion had created a new 10ft drop into the sea from the beach.
When Mr Martin 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.
Hemsby residents have been fighting to get a rock berm in place in a bid to help stop the erosion even further. The planning permission was due to come through a year ago, but the government's Marine Management Organisation has yet to sign off on the plans.
One of those is Ian Brennan, chairman of Save Hemsby Coastline. Ian, 63, said: "We're pleased with the Hemsby Parish Council response to open the village hall to evacuees last night- they are environmental refugees now.
"It's good they have a plan and can help people at risk, but the best plan is to not be at risk in the first place and stop houses falling over the cliff edge."
Climate group One Home recently published a report estimating that coastal homes in English worth a total £584million could be lost to cliff collapses by 2100.
2,218 homes were accounted for in the report, across 21 coastal communities that have been brought closer to crumbling cliffs over the years.
