The remains of the Slapton Line road linking Kingsbridge and Dartmouth lie crumbled on the foreshore in a mess of tarmac, steel and concrete. This winter, storms demolished a section of the A road between Torcross and Slapton, fulfilling a destiny predicted over 30 years ago but not prepared for.
On bank holiday Monday, hundreds will walk the route to highlight how the collapse has hit livelihoods and threatened lifestyles. 'It is just worrying that nothing is being done,' said Gill Sterry, owner of the Sea View campsite. 'We feel forgotten about.'
The rubble is evidence of a total lack of national preparedness for coastal erosion, according to MPs. Dan Thomas, Devon county council cabinet member for highways, said repairing the road would cost £18m, almost 25% of the transport capital budget. 'That is a sucker punch the council cannot take.'
Across the UK, more than 10,000 properties are at risk from coastal erosion in the next 80 years, along with at least 3.7 miles of railways and 114 miles of roads. There is no national adaptation strategy ready to roll out.
In Norfolk, the impact of sea level rise on soft cliffs could cause the loss of up to 1,600 homes in 80 years. Sophie Day of the University of East Anglia watched as two homes were demolished in Happisburgh. 'It felt like a funeral watching their homes go,' she said.
There is currently no compensation or insurance for people who lose properties to erosion. Those working on pilot schemes say they need to become mainstream national action plans urgently.
