New aerial images show homes precariously close to a cliff edge which has seen dramatic coastal erosion in recent years.

The striking photos of Triningham captured by local photographer Mike Page show the rate of erosion on the north Norfolk coast which has been victim to the pressures of the North Sea for centuries.

Trimingham is on the route of the Norfolk Coast Path, which stretches 84 miles from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea.

Eastern Daily Press: Cliff collapse at Trimingham due to coastal erosionCliff collapse at Trimingham due to coastal erosion (Image: Mike Page)

Gaps in the path have been gradually appearing due to coastal erosion and walkers now have to veer inland to avoid gaping holes. 

Concerns over a potential cliff collapse at Trimingham also saw the Ministry of Defence move the distinctive 'golf ball' radar station to a new home eight miles from the coast at Neatishead.

And in January 2020, the cliff fell at Trimingham overnight, sending tonnes of sand and silt plummeting onto the beach and sea from the Trimingham House Caravan Park above.

Eastern Daily Press: An image from a drone of the cliff fall at Trimingham, taken on January 7, 2020An image from a drone of the cliff fall at Trimingham, taken on January 7, 2020 (Image: BlueSky UAV Specialists)

Our dynamic coast

Coastal erosion of Norfolk's soft cliffs has been going on for thousands of years.

A map of the county in medieval times would show that Cromer and Happisburgh were once inland settlements, while the coast, further north and east than it is now, was populated with villages like Shipden, Foulness and Whimpwell that since those times have disappeared under the sea.

It was only in the late 19th century that substantial sea defences were constructed in the larger seaside towns.

Eastern Daily Press: Several medieval villages on the Norfolk coast have been lost to erosion over the centuries. This map, from an interpretation board at Trimingham that forms part of the Deep History Coast trail, shows where they wereSeveral medieval villages on the Norfolk coast have been lost to erosion over the centuries. This map, from an interpretation board at Trimingham that forms part of the Deep History Coast trail, shows where they were (Image: Supplied by NNDC)

Many of the current defences, in the form of groynes and revetments, were built after the Second World War, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s in response to the great flood of 1953 when more than 300 people on the east coast died.

Nowadays, sea level rise and more frequent storms due to climate change mean there is more pressure on the coast.

Beaches limit erosion by absorbing the energy of the sea, however, across the east coast, beach levels are generally reducing. This exposes cliffs and defences to greater action from the sea.