CONTRACTORS are halfway through the demolition of a £2million clifftop holiday home, which was in danger of falling into the sea.

Heartbroken couple Richard and Sheila Moore were told to demolish their home in Thorpeness, Suffolk because it sits too close to dangerous coastal erosion.

Council officials informed the devastated pair that their six-bedroom property, called The Red House, was unsafe to live in and had to be knocked down before it plunged off a 35ft cliff.

The power of the ocean washed away at least 50ft of their back garden over the last 20 months, leaving the house perilously close to the cliff edge.

The lovely 1920s property boasts stunning sea views and would be worth £2million if not for the erosion making it worthless.

Local residents now fear that their homes will be next, either through demolition or being swept into the North Sea, unless up to £6million is spent on new sea defences.

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The Moores' neighbours Matthew Graham and Lucy Ansbro have created their own "rock armour" sea defences out of 500 giant rocks to protect their home.

Ms Ansbro said that the erosion had "happened much faster than anyone thought" it would.

She added: "If I had not put those rocks down, we would not be living there now. Most of our house is nearer the sea than the Red House and the cliff would be down the middle of our garden."

Meanwhile, Eric Atkinson, a local councillor, said: "People are obviously concerned about seeing the Red House going.

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"Everyone wants to see a proper design for sea defences in place with the preferred option being rocks – but our understanding is that there is little public money available and it will have to be raised some other way.

"While rocks are not the most attractive things, the beauty of having them as defences is that they can be moved around to where they are most needed."

Mr and Mrs Moore have reportedly owned The Red House for over 20 years and are said to be "heartbroken" over its loss.

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Demolition work began two weeks ago and is making good progress.

A spokeswoman for the Coastal Partnership East, which represents local councils to manage the coastline in Norfolk and Suffolk, said that it was "working with the worst affected communities and other government agencies to explore what options are available now and to create new options for communities as our coast faces increasing challenges from a changing climate."

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