A seaside village which used to be buzzing with families and tourists who would travel miles to pay a visit is now being described as a ghost town. Skipsea, in East Yorkshire which was once a popular destination is now filled with abandoned homes and shacks which are falling into the sea, the Mirror reports.
Erosion at the seaside location means buildings are at danger of falling into the crashing waves along the North Sea coast. Rows of homes have been left swaying on the deteriorating cliffs and residents are concerned about the future of their 'dream homes' and whether or not they will 'wake up with the sea' in their bed.
The tiny village has even put up warning signs urging tourists to stay away which read: "Danger. Do not proceed". Devastated Jimmy Mac who lives there with his partner Megan Shaw said: "Look what we're losing. It's beautiful, isn't it? It's a dream home. It's just a shame. I don't want to move from this house.
"It's just a shame. I don't want to move from this house. But I don’t know if I’m going to wake up with the sea in my bed."
Alongside the sea front is an old derelict arcade which has smashed-in windows and graffiti-covered walls and stands just a couple feet from the drop into the water. Opposite it, is an abandoned fish and chip shop with the town's only sign of life being at Skipsea Sands Holiday Park nearby.
The caravan and camping site remains open to brave tourists but its Tripadvisor reviews are becoming worse. In 2022, it came under fire for its 'tired' appearance and claims the site had a rat infestation.
Yorkshire Live reporter Megan Banner, who visited the location this month, said: "It just lies rejected and unloved. I saw around two people during my whole visit - nothing in comparison to Filey and Bridlington just up the coast.
"It's exactly what I imagined an 80s caravan holiday to be like, exactly like my parents and grandparents would describe, just nothing has changed or modernised since then - it was just left to rot. It's like people here are just waiting for their indefinite fate."
Statistics from 2021 show that only 678 people lived in the seaside town, the majority of them being over the age of 60-years-old. Millions of pounds is being put down to save the small coastal community but it's feared that it may not be enough.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the £36million, split between East Riding of Yorkshire Council and North Norfolk District Council, would help locals to "prepare and plan" for the worst outcome. A spokesman said: "These two locations are already living with the challenges of coastal erosion and between them include 84 per cent of the properties at risk of coastal erosion in England over the next 20 years."
In June 2022 James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, added: "While we can come back safely after most river flooding, there's no coming back for land that coastal erosion has taken away or which a rising sea level has put permanently or frequently under water.
"Which means that in some places the right answer will have to be to move communities away from danger."
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