Devastated caravan owners have been warned they must move their £100,000 seaside holiday homes after a 160ft crack opened on the cliff where they are parked.
A drone has captured footage of holiday homes perching perilously on the edge of the cliff face along the Hornsea coast in east Yorkshire.
Now dozens of the properties at Longbeach Leisure Park will have to be moved because they are at risk of plunging onto the beach below, officials have warned.
Residents at Longbeach Leisure Park, Hornsea are facing a 160ft crack which appeared just metres from their doorsteps at the cliff edge
The coast is eroding at a rate of 7.5ft per year according to the local council, which says there is a ‘need to relocate or remove caravan pitches from the site’
Some 12 homes, which cost between £40,000 and £100,000, have already been relocated this year
Owners of the caravans worth between £40,000 and £100,000 found a 160ft-long crack had opened up along the cliff edge just yards from their homes.
The coast is eroding at a rate of 7.5ft per year according to the local council, which says there is a ‘need to relocate or remove caravan pitches from the site’.
Some 12 homes have already been relocated this year.
Caravan owner Jenny Speight, 71, has owned four different properties on the site in the last 33 years.
Just five years after purchasing the home which offers sweeping views over the beach, Mrs Speight was told she would have to relocate in January.
Mrs Speight, who visits the £45,000 property most weekends with husband Brian Speight, 76, from their home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, has been offered a plot further away from the cliff edge.
Their caravan, which is on wheels, will be maneuvered between other caravans and towed to an empty plot one row back from where it is currently located.
The couple will still have a sea view in their new plot, and because the council have ordered for the caravan to be moved for safety reasons, the cost of the operation will be the responsibility of the site itself.
Caravan owner Jenny Speight, 71, (pictured with her husband) has owned four different properties on the site in the last 33 years, but has now been told she must move
Drone footage shows the homes perching perilously on the edge of the cliff on the east Yorkshire coastline
The view from Jenny Speight’s holiday home – she must now move the caravan further inland
The rapidly eroding coastline has forced the council to warn owners to move their properties
She said: ‘I thought we would at least see the year out here but with the weather and how quickly the cliff is eroding, we have been told we need to get out as soon as possible.
‘Our home is directly on the cliff front so we have the best views possible, the views are incredible.
‘It is such a shame. We knew when we bought the home this day would come but we didn’t think it would be so soon.
‘We have been on the site for 33 years and seen many changes but this is the worst the erosion has ever been.’
Mrs Speight added: ‘It is very annoying as we are going to lose the direct sea view. It could be as soon as this weekend when the work begins, we are thinking of going to help get everything together.
‘Thankfully the new plot has become available which is not very far away but we will have to walk to get the same view now which is disappointing.
‘At least the homes can be transported, if they were made of bricks and mortar it would be much more difficult.’
Dozens of the properties at Longbeach Leisure Park will have to be moved because they are at risk of plunging onto the beach below
The couple now believe they can keep their caravan in the new position for the ‘foreseeable future’ – at least the next 15 years.
A spokesman for East Riding Council said: ‘While the existing coastal defences in Hornsea protect part of the Longbeach site from erosion, to the south of these defences, the coast is eroding at a rate of approximately 2.3 metres a year, with a maximum individual loss of 8.76 metres.
‘Over time, this erosion, which is monitored regularly, has resulted in the need to relocate or remove caravan pitches from the site.’