A Cold War-era nuclear bunker perched on a cliff edge in East Yorkshire could be 'days away' from collapsing into the sea, according to an amateur historian monitoring the site.
The concrete structure, located above Tunstall Beach between Withernsea and Hornsea, was built in 1959 as a lookout post in the event of nuclear war and was decommissioned in the 1990s. Coastal erosion, which the Environment Agency says is among the fastest in the UK, has left the bunker teetering about 25 feet above the beach.
Davey Robinson, who is documenting the bunker's final days, told the BBC: 'We live on one of the most eroded coastlines in Europe and this bunker hasn't got long left, perhaps just a few days.' Photographs show the structure clinging to the eroded cliff with little bank remaining to support it.
An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesperson said the authority has no statutory responsibilities for the building as it sits on private land. The council advised people to avoid the area, both at the cliff top and on the beach below, due to the risk of collapse. The shoreline management plan for this location specifies 'no active intervention', allowing coastal processes to continue undefended.
The Yorkshire Marine Nature Partnership reports that the cliff line in the region is retreating by approximately four metres per year, releasing significant quantities of material into the sea. Climate change has accelerated this erosion through rising sea levels, more frequent and severe storms, and warmer sea surface temperatures.
