Residents evacuated after clifftop road falls into sea in Suffolk
Many caravans were left ‘dangerously close to the edge’ of the cliff drop
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People have been evacuated from a Suffolk holiday park after part of a road collapsed, washing some of the beach away with it.
Coastal erosion caused by high tide and winds left many caravans “dangerously close to the edge” of the drop, forcing their residents to leave.
Parts of a sandy cliff were also eroded, taking strips of wooden fencing along with it.
Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service were called to Pakefield Holiday Park in Lowestoft on Friday night after an “incident attendance request”.
HMP Coastguard Lowestoft said another high tide was expected at 8pm on Saturday and that there team would be “monitoring the situation throughout the weekend”.
They said “the beach was now a dangerous place to be”.
In a statement on their Facebook page, they added that the beach at the bottom of the steps at Arbor Lane “has now mostly washed away. There is now a drop onto what’s left of the beach.”
The Coastguard confirmed they had cordoned off steps on Friday evening.
Images show the scale of the incident with large pieces of tarmac littering the sandy beach as waves wash parts of it away.
It comes after a similar incident in Hemsby where coastal erosion also led to the collapse of a road into the sea on Friday, along with several feet of cliff and dunes, according to the BBC.
East Suffolk Council has warned the public to “please stay away for your safety”.
In a statement on their website, they added:
“Overnight storm conditions have led to further erosion of the cliffs at Pakefield. The relevant authorities are addressing the impacts, and affected areas have been cordoned off as the extent of any damage is assessed.
“Known damage which affects ordinary access includes the steps down to the beach at Arbor Lane.
“Therefore, people are asked to avoid the area and stay away from locations which may still be vulnerable. There may be debris and the possibility of further collapse and public safety is a priority.”
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