UK - Ex-soldier who twice defied coastal erosion to drag his house back from crumbling Norfolk cliff edge staring at defeat after fresh landslip
Lance Martin, 65, dragged one-bedroom home back another 40 metres in land. Village of Hemsby suffered from severe coastal erosion in recent years. Bought the property and told it would be safe for around 40 years
A defiant ex-soldier who twice dragged his home away from a cliff edge to stop it falling into the sea faced defeat today when another landslip threatened his chalet bungalow.
Lance Martin, 65, hit the headlines in March when he used a tractor to pull his home away from the cliff in Hemsby, Norfolk.
The ex grenadier guardsman had to drag his one-bedroom home back another 40 metres in land while several of his neighbour's homes were demolished.
Now his home is at risk of toppling over the cliff edge and landing in the sea again, because of further erosion, with a dramatic photo taken on Sunday showing Lance's home and another property just metres away from the edge.
The village, which is home to around 3,000 people, has suffered from severe coastal erosion in recent years with many properties abandoned as the cliffs continue to slip away.
Speaking in earlier this year, Mr Martin said he was 'just accepting' what had happened to his home and was trying to 'keep a smile on his face'.
He said: 'The overwhelming feeling amongst the neighbours is one of despair.. I keep a smile on my face.
'I haven't broken down yet. I crack on with it- there's nobody to blame, you just have to accept it and move on.'
Mr Martin first moved his home on The Marrams back from the edge in 2018 having bought the property and told it would be safe for around 40 years.
One shocking photo taken this year shows Lance's property, which is worth around £95,000, just metres away from falling onto the beach below.
He then towed his home back using a tractor but a photograph taken in August shows the coastline getting closer to the ex-grenadier guard's bungalow.
In March, terrified residents were forced to pack up their belongings and possibly leave their cliff-edge homes for good amid fears their houses could plunge into the sea during an overnight storm surge.
At least five people were told to leave their at-risk homes in Hemsby, Norfolk, as surging 50mph winds and a high tide of 3.7m threatened to undermine their properties perching on a small sand cliff.
In October, locals said they had been abandoned by the Government after it scrapped a defence scheme - despite a landslip leaving a home perched on the edge of a cliff.
Despite the shocking images, the Government said a planned sea defence project did not qualify for funding to be put into action.
