£1bn of homes could be lost to coastal erosion, report warns

A report by the Environment Agency has revealed that 7,000 homes are at risk of coastal erosion, and 520,000 are in areas that have a high risk of coastal flooding. 

Using data from the Environment Agency ‘National Coastal Erosion Risk Mapping’ data, the website Confused.com has produced an interactive coastal erosion risk map that predicts the rate of UK coastal erosion over the next 20, 50 and 100 years.

The Environment Agency has predicted that 7,000 homes, worth more than £1bn, will face the consequences of coastal erosion this century.

The data also shows that currently, 520,000 properties are in areas that have a high risk of coastal flooding.

Without action, climate change could cause this figure to increase to 1.5 million homes by 2080.

Environment minister Thérèse Coffey said recently: ‘One in six people in England are already living in properties that are at risk of flooding.’

According to Confused.com, a combination of increased coastal erosion, rising sea levels, and climate change is likely to cause this statistic to greatly increase.

Confused.com has also used this data to show which coastal towns and villages are at the highest risk of collapse.

The most at-risk region is Happisburgh, Norfolk.

To date around 35 homes have been lost to land erosion in this area.

The second most in danger area is Kessingland, Suffolk.

According to the report, by 2039 230ft of land will have eroded in this area meaning that 52.6% of the land is expected to disappear.

Tom Vaughan, head of home at Confused.com said: ‘Coastal erosion has become one of the most worrying issues for UK homeowners in seaside towns.

‘Our research highlights the increasing risk that many coastal residents are facing, to the point where some are ultimately looking at losing their homes over the next 20 years.

‘Homes on the coastline have always been popular, especially in the likes of Yorkshire and East England.

‘However, as land erodes, we could be seeing more expensive insurance premiums, as the danger of damage from climate change is higher than living inland.’

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