Huge cracks open up on coastal road less than a mile from December cliff collapse

Coastguards have released pictures of a huge crack on a coastal road in Norfolk, close to where a section of cliff collapsed in December.

HM Coastguard Bacton shared the dramatic pictures on its Facebook page, saying the "substantial cracks" in a parking area on the road were opening up while its team was on the scene.

The coastguard had been called to Vale Road in Mundesley at about 8.45pm on Saturday evening to reports of a cliff slippage.

It said: "On investigation, 40 feet of the parking area had substantial cracks that were opening up in the time we were on scene.

"The whole of Vale Road is now closed off until further notice. Please do not enter the area."

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The site of the cracks is close to where a "substantial" cliff collapse took place in December, sending tonnes of soil and sand from the 130ft-high (40-metre) cliff on to the beach below and covering wooden sea defences.

The landslip, which took place near Seaview Road in Mundesley - just under a mile from the latest cracks - happened overnight between 8 and 9 December and was thought to have been caused by excessive groundwater due to rainfall, according to North Norfolk District Council experts.

While the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said nobody was in danger at the time, one resident said he wanted to move after seeing a similar collapse by a caravan park in nearby Trimingham the previous year.

Commenting at the time, a spokesperson from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "The UK’s coastline is continually eroding, with pieces falling from cliffs that can be just a few small rocks or falls of hundreds of tons, including rocks the size of a car.

"It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be."

They also advised that, when standing or walking at the bottom of a cliff, people should not stand less than the height of the cliff away.

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