When Kevin Jordan moved into his home on the Hemsby dunes more than a decade ago the sea was a distant presence, separated from his property by a wide, protective beach.

But over the years, the sands have disappeared and the gap between the dunes and the waves has narrowed.

Over the weekend, Mr Jordan's property was one of five chalets demolished by contractors working for the council, after coastal erosion left them on the verge of falling to the sea.

For Mr Jordan, there was anger, but also sadness. "I have so many memories of the house, good and bad," he said.

In the end, the final moments had come swiftly. Mr Jordan received a letter from the council on Thursday afternoon, telling him to be out by the next day.

Despite high winds and rain over the weekend, the workers moved quickly. A digger tore into the houses, while another, on the beach below, scooped up the remains before dumping the debris into tipper trucks which transported it to skips on Beach Road car park.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said the decision to demolish the homes, taken with the owners’ permission, was because the properties were “not structurally sound and are unsafe”.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A digger ripping the roof off a house threatened by coastal erosion in Hemsby. A digger ripping the roof off a house threatened by coastal erosion in Hemsby. (Image: Daniel Hickey)Mr Jordan moved to the Marrams after retiring in 2009 and remembers the "peace and solitude of the early days" and the community who were "there for you when you needed them".

"It was lovely. I had moved from a rural part of Martham and on the Marrams, with the sand dunes, it was a different type of nature.

"When I first moved there you could hear the gentle waves a long way out. 

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A digger removing debris from the demolition site of five houses at the Marrams in Hemsby. A digger removing debris from the demolition site of five houses at the Marrams in Hemsby. (Image: Daniel Hickey)

"But since I moved in the storms started to increase in frequency. The Beast from the East in 2018 was a big game-changer.

"Since then, any storms came crashing into the base of the dunes.

"My property would shake. I would immediately wake up, stressed. I would be out with a torch checking on damage.

"The sea had taken on a more sinister sound by then."

READ MORE: Hemsby Marrams homeowners move out ahead of demolition 

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Kevin Jordan has had to leave his home of 14 years after coastal erosion left it on the verge of falling into the sea. Kevin Jordan has had to leave his home of 14 years after coastal erosion left it on the verge of falling into the sea. (Image: Denise Bradley)

But Mr Jordan, 70, said the storms "didn't necessarily have to be bad".

"There's no beach left. It used to be a great wide beach. Rolling waves got absorbed by the beach before they could come near the dunes. Now there is no beach."

He said that residents "breathed a sigh of relief" in February this year when plans for a rock berm on the beach were approved by the borough council.

"That was going to give us at least another 20 years, only to be told around the time of the storm in March that we weren't qualified for funding.

"It was awful," he said. "That's why I'm so angry."

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A sign at the dunes in Hemsby expressing anger about the response to coastal erosion in the village. A sign at the dunes in Hemsby expressing anger about the response to coastal erosion in the village. (Image: Daniel Hickey)

Mr Jordan was one of five Marrams homeowners given a Section 77 notice on November 27 informing them they would have to leave their clifftop houses as soon as possible.

The notices came after two parts of the Marrams road collapsed onto the beach two weeks ago, leaving several homes structurally impaired and without access to emergency vehicles.

Mr Jordan said he then received the letter late on Thursday afternoon, telling him to be out by the next day.

"I had to rally the troops, the lifeboat heroes and the community to come and help me pack up," he said.

Mr Jordan, who has mobility issues, said he was "not a grumpy old man" and knew that leaving the house was "inevitable" but he had hoped for more time.

He has been moved to emergency accommodation - a one-bedroom flat in Martham.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A tipper truck taking debris from the demolition of five houses at the Marrams in Hemsby on December 10. A tipper truck taking debris from the demolition of five houses at the Marrams in Hemsby on December 10. (Image: Daniel Hickey)

People are being strongly urged to avoid the beach while demolition takes place, and visitors are prohibited from using the access road and footpath until December 18.

A meeting to discuss what action can be taken will take place from 11am on Saturday, December 16 at Hemsby Village Hall on Waters Lane.