Great Yarmouth Borough Council has warned people to stay away from beaches, promenades and piers in light of weather warnings.

In a statement published on its website, the council also warned of coastal erosion and confirmed it is to close the Gorleston Lower Esplanade from tomorrow until the weekend.

The full statement is as follows:

“High spring tides are forecast to coincide with high winds, which will affect the Great Yarmouth borough coastal area on Friday, January 13.

The borough council is continuing to monitor the situation and liaise with other agencies, including the Environment Agency, Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, and HM Coastguard.

For their own safety, people are advised to stay away from the beaches, promenades and piers, as waves between three and four metres in height are currently forecast, which could overtop the sea walls. The council is seeking to inform businesses with premises on the promenades at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, and is closing the section of Gorleston’s Lower Esplanade, from the Pier Hotel through to the Yacht Pond.

At Hemsby, the forecast weather will increase the risk of coastal erosion to the cliffs. The borough council is liaising closely with the local resilience group to ensure the clifftop residents are aware, prepared and vigilant.

At this stage, the picture is still emerging and the Environment Agency has not yet issued any flood alerts or warnings. The borough council will continue to update residents, who should stay away from the beaches and look out for further updates.

Separately, the Met Office had forecast that heavy gusts from a north westerly direction will introduce Arctic air overnight and into Thursday, which could result in snow this week. To reflect the risk of disruption any snow could bring, the Met Office has updated a Yellow Warning for Snow which covers most of the East of England and is valid until the end of Thursday.

The borough council and other agencies are continuing to monitor the situation with the potential snow. Residents are advised to keep an eye on the weather news and be prepared for the forecast cold weather.”